


Whispers in the dark

by ThusSpokeRaven



Category: Nikita (TV 2010)
Genre: Assassin - Freeform, Bondage, Cutting, Drug Addiction, F/F, Gen, Hard core, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Sex, Multi, Other, Prostitution, Romance, Sex, Violence, Weapons, black ops, sex slaves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-23
Updated: 2015-04-03
Packaged: 2018-01-16 18:46:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 23,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1358020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThusSpokeRaven/pseuds/ThusSpokeRaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just something that came to mind when I was working on the sequel to Facilis Descensus Averno.  Set sometime before season one.  Nalex/AU/Fem slash</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

* * *

 

* * *

 

Nikita turned the chilled glass of white wine in her fingers. The light from the recesses above her in the intimate restaurant shone dully in the liquid. She took a small sip, rolling it over her tongue slowly. Closing her eyes she followed her minds musings about the flavor. She rode waves of oak and fruit and smiled at the crispness. Her whole world had changed. She was trying to find something like a life in the small moments away from Division, life in glasses of wine and meals and moments away, living.

Division was not a place to live. There was no breath that was not monitored or relationship that was not watched if not outright orchestrated. Nikita, as an agent with some small measure of trust, was given a certain degree which she used to try to work out how to taste life as she tasted the wine in her glass. Fully, and unfortunately in small doses. Human relations were not a part of Division life.

Imagines of Kelly flashed through her mind. Her friend and partner in the field, Kelly had been one of her only true friends at Division. The attractive blonde had fallen for a young man in operations. They began a secretive affair that she had sold Michael as just a cover, a convenient "pairing" to keep either from dealing with entangling relationships from without. Michael believed it was just a cover. Not everyone did. Percy was not convinced. Jacob, Kelly's boyfriend died in a "home invasion." Percy was not the type to allow for the possibility of shared loyalties. Relationships were not allowed at Division. Kelly came to Nikita's apartment and wept. When Percy thought she was ready again, he sent her out. She never came back from that mission. Kelly died and Nikita woke up to the truth.

"Your salad, ma'am." The waiter smiled, pulling Nikita out of her thoughts.

Nikita nodded her thanks to the server who placed the tofu and kale salad in front of her. While this was not the finest restaurant in the city, they had a healthy selection of vegetarian dishes. She was just savoring the aroma and taste and texture of the first mouthful when a dark haired man dressed in an off the rack dark suit and open necked white shirt came in leading a young woman clothed in a dress made for dancing and trimmed in a burgundy fur.

The scowling thick necked man stopped and lifted and dropped his hand. The girl reacted as if he yanked her leash. She moved up beside him and lowered her chin. A waiter showed them to the table opposite hers. Nikita looked up through her eyelashes. The young woman was high. That much was almost as certain as there was a sky above. Her skin was pale, her eyes too bright, stumbling slightly before she took her seat to the right of the man. Nikita's fork stopped midway as she studied the brunette.

Nikita swallowed hard. The girl across from her, fidgeting slightly looking at the frowning man beside her was none other than Alexandra Udinov. The years had turned the young girl she rescued into a woman, but Nikita knew without a doubt it was her.

The last time she had seen Alexandra was when she gave her over for safekeeping. It was her one little act of rebellion prior to Kelly, the one little attempt to cling to shreds of her own soul. This was the girl she was supposed to have killed but instead secreted away in the night.

The man growled out a few sentences. Nikita watched intently. A few minutes was all it took to tell Nikita what she needed to know. The way the girl leaned in his direction. His proprietary mannerism. A small cellophane bag pulled from his pocket, slid across the table top toward Alex. Turning the bag over in her hand, she shot up from her chair and headed off toward the restroom in the back of the restaurant.

Nikita wiped her lips with the napkin in her lap and followed. She stared at the stall door as she pretended to check her lipstick. Alex stumbled slightly as she moved to the sink. She washed her hands slowly and methodically as she became aware of the other woman in the room. Nikita felt the eyes heavy on her. She was being assessed.

Alexandra looked at the woman and smiled. "See something you like?" she asked seductively.

Nikita looked at her evenly. "And if I did?"

The younger woman turned and ran her hand over Nikita's shoulder. "I am worth every penny." Her lips slipped slowly, with small breaths over Nikita's jaw. Slight puffs of air ignited nerves Nikita had thought dead.

"Tonight?" Nikita asked.

"I am... engaged for the evening." Alexandra offered as she nibbled Nikita's earlobe. "I'm worth the wait too," she whispered.

The breath and the lips tickling at the soft skin under her ear was exciting. Nikita moaned quietly. Her fingers reached out and stroked at the younger woman's side. "When?" she whispered.

"Tomorrow night. Morgan's." she smiled.

"Morgan's?"

"The bar at the end of the block." Alex's fingers moved up Nikita's thigh slowly and pressed at the top, a very short, very tantalizing distance from Nikita's center.

Nikita felt wet and weak. All the plans she had to set Alexandra's life right were a million miles from her mind as Alex's soft lips caressed hers.

"You haven't told me your name." Nikita's eyes searched hers and after a beat, she leaned forward gently tucking a lock of hair behind the younger woman's ear.

"Sasha."

Alexandra left the bathroom with a brief backward glance. Nikita leaned into the sink catching her breath. Never had anyone taken her breath away with a few touches. She would spend the evening keeping her eye on the Russian heiress and now sex slave.


	2. Chapter 2

Alexandra parted from Vlad the thick necked pimp at the corner. He grabbed the back of her neck with a hairy hand as she turned to go, and spinning her back he leaned in and spoke to her sternly. Nodding, she pulled back and walked away. Her heels clicked on the sidewalk in sharp staccato. The set of her shoulders hinted at anger.

Nikita followed at a distance. The young woman looked around surreptitiously before she stopped a few blocks down and walked into an alley. Stepping around piles of spilled garbage and rain warped chunks of cardboard she made her way to a can. She hissed and kicked the old and dented city can. A handful of tin cans rattled away merrily. Stepping back she caught her breath. Alex began to kick the can in earnest a frown creasing her face. She stopped suddenly and then began stalking back up the alley. Nikita barely ducked away in time. She was wondering about this display of anger. Was it against the sex slaving Vlad? Possibly a john? Maybe her situation in general?

Nikita was worried at the wild look in the other woman's eyes. Something was even more wrong than she realized. She continued to follow at a closer distance slowly moving along the night street, avoiding the lamps where she could. She was glad that she was wearing darker colors for her evening out. Being invisible had benefits.

Alexandra walked up to a heavy set man with a leer on his face and sweat stains on his grimy blue dress shirt. He took her arm firmly and walked her toward a hotel. Alex's face was grimly set as they crossed the street. He didn't look at her. She was a means to an end and there was an end to it apparently.

The assassin found a place in the line at the run down hotel. She heard the desk clerk as he told the fellow where to go for his room as cash crossed the poorly polished counter. Alex and the john moved toward the brass elevator. Nikita asked for a room on the same floor, saying Mr. Big-and-Ugly was her self centered boss. She smiled as she was placed in an adjoining room. While she disliked playing the flirt card, there were times that it worked way better than an upper cut to the jaw.

She looked around grimly at the room. Ice bucket, plastic cups, a distinct lack of things that could be snuck out. She turned her attention to the wall she shared. Nikita placed her ear against the door to the next room. The voices were muffled but she could make a little of the conversation in the adjoining room. The man was a low growl through the door. She made out a few words, mostly pertaining to sexual positions. She heard Alex. "I don't do that."

He mentioned a number, a dollar amount.

"No."

Nikita heard a meaty thump and a yelp. She ran to the kitchenette and came back using the dusty microwave as a battering ram. The door's piss poor latch failed under the concerted assault.

The man was on top of Alex tearing at her top, his own shirt open to show off his pasty white and hairy hide. His mouth was open in surprise and he flew back as she slammed his face with the microwave before tossing it to the side and grabbing Alexandra. They ran back through to her room. Thank the gods she had the presence of mind to use throw away identity four for this little soiree, she thought. Nikita pulled Alex into the elevator at the end of the hall and pulling off her jacket, threw it around Alexandra's shoulders.

"Stop stop," Alex kept saying. "I have to go back. I have to make him happy. He's a special...client."

Nikita looked at her surprised. "You like that pig?"

"Hell no. He's a fucking pervert and a rhino. My ... boss likes him." Alex pulled on the jacket trying to hide the rip. She looked at Nikita. "I have to go back."

Nikita shook her head. "You can't." She shook her head and wanted to jump up and down to get the elevator to drop faster and without the metallic screeches. "You just can't."

Alexandra tried to jab a button. Nikita grabbed her hand. "He was going to take what he wanted."

"Don't they all," Alex sneered. "He's going to kill me," she groaned.

Nikita shook her head and grasped her forearm. "No. He's not. You're coming with me."

"You want a date that bad? Pay me extra so I can keep the boss off my ass." Alexandra crossed her arms. Just thinking about the damage he would do to her for fucking up with the Fat Slob was giving her a cold shiver. The last of his girls that fucked up ended up being shoveled into a body bag. The one before was used to work out fighting dogs. He was a man of lethal temper.

Nikita nodded curtly. She blamed herself for Alex ending up in this life. She murdered Vlad in her mind over and over as she stared at the panicked woman. Alex was used to life as that piece of shit's property. She was programmed through years of abuse and addiction to obey. Nikita knew that she was going to have to play this game a little while before she tried to get Alexandra out of this life she was living in. She needed to gain her trust, Nikita thought, and that would take more than one date. No matter how long or what it took, she would set the wrong things right, at least for Alexandra. She tried to tell herself that as Alex walked out of the elevator beside her.

"We'll go back to my place. I have more than enough cash to placate your... boss."

Alexandra looked at her frowning. "Try anything that I do not want, and you will see that microwave trick from the other side."

Nikita smiled broadly. "I think you and I are going to get along just fine."


	3. Chapter 3

 

Nikita opened the passenger side of the car for Alex. "I know a place. It's a little ways off."

 

"Not a serial killer are you?"

 

Nikita chuckled. "Serial no. Get in."

 

One of the things Nikita had been doing since Kelly self-destructed on mission was to make little retreats. One retreat was her deeply sensual enjoyment of meals or music. The other was a loft in a building a block from where she parked. Division had supplied her an upscale apartment, but she thought that it was likely as private as being the star of a reality TV show. This loft was paid for in cash, registered under a corporation that never was and was a haven she gave herself a few hours here and there.

 

Nikita opened the door and ushered Alexandra in. Alex turned slowly with raised brow. A wide open space had been carved from a warehouse space. A bed occupied the far corner from the kitchen, a small space bounded by frosted windows in frames taken from a factory or something of the sort. No art or personal pictures to be seen. A stereo with abundant cds and a steel bakers rack of clothes and linens occupied a corner.

 

"You are probably saving tons by going with the minimums. Is that a personal or financial choice," Alex asked.

 

Nikita chuckled and dropped her keys on a small table next to the door. "Personal."

 

Alexandra turned. "Should I worry then? This is your place to bring back your prey before you turn their bones into chandeliers and lamps?"

 

"Number one. I already told you I am not a serial killer and number two, ew." Nikita smiled. "What will make you feel safe here Alex?"

 

Alexandra's face lost its amusement. "I didn't tell you my name."

 

Nikita shrugged. "I must have heard it."

 

Alex looked at her suspiciously. "Payment up front and I get to cuff one of your wrists to the bedframe."

 

Nikita looked at her assessingly. "That would make you feel safe?"

 

"Safer." Alex crossed her arms.

 

"Alright if I take a shower first?"

 

Alex nodded and walked toward the kitchen.

 

Nikita smiled. "Raid the fridge while you're here," she called as she walked to the bathroom.

 

"I will thanks," came through the door as bottles tinkled. "Oh for fucks sake. Are you a vegetarian?"

 

Nikita laughed and went to turn the shower knob. While the water sprayed, she took out an emergency kit from under the far side of the claw foot tub. She secreted a handcuff key between her fingers to slide under a pillow when she left the bathroom and one of the bundles of cash which she placed on the edge of the sink. Slipping the key in the soap tray under the shower head, she soaped herself.

 

Nikita closed her eyes and slowly ran soapy fingers over her skin. She kept telling herself that she wouldn't go through with the sex part of the date. She was trying to make things right with and for Alex, but she kept flashing on how strongly the touch of Alexandra's soft lips and deft fingers had affected her. By the time the water had cooled, she felt weak with need for Alex's touch and strong in her intent to take Alex off of Vlad's leash.

 

She re-hid the key between fingers and walked out in a towel. Nikita stopped as she caught a glimpse of Alex, who was watching her steadily with a smile, wearing nothing but a half buttoned over sized oxford from her own clothes rack. Nikita smiled. "I left your money on the sink."

 

Alexandra stepped up against Nikita and slid against her pressing her back far enough to look past her into the bathroom, her eyes swiftly landing on the pile of cash on the sink. Alex kissed her throat as she pulled back. "Good girl." Alexandra's fingers slid over her shoulder and followed her collarbone then down center line to the edge of the towel. Alex chewed her lip slightly as her eyes became a physical force over Nikita's body

 

Nikita felt herself grow wet just from the caressing gaze. She smiled at the other woman and touched her lips. Alex took her wrist and gently pulled it away pressing the older woman back to the side of the bed. Alexandra took her hand away and slid her hand around to where the towel was tucked in. Nikita's eyes locked with Alexandra's as the towel slipped away.

 

Alex smiled and slipped a cheap pair of handcuffs from the breast pocket of the oxford. Her tongue brushed her lower lip as her eyes slid down Nikita's body. She moaned as the tightly muscled body before her moved onto the bed. Nikita's wrist slid slowly up, first under the pillow and then up to the bed frame.

 

"You going to run on me?" Nikita asked thickly.

 

Alexandra closed the cuffs on wrist and frame. She climbed up and straddled Nikita on her knees. Her hands came down, brunette hair tickling as it fell around them. Nikita and Alex stared at one another, the only people in the room. Alexandra's lips hovered just over Nikita's ear. "I'm going to show you how good you can feel... Just relax." Her breath feathered over sensitive throat skin.

 

 

Nikita groaned as Alex's hot silky lips found hers. Alex nibbled her lower lip then brushed it with her tongue. Alex's body slid over hers. Nikita's wrist pulled at the manacle. A deep part of her screamed to resist and get free. Another part of her felt the sensual assault and the trust necessary in cuffing and felt a kind of dizzy sliding release.

 

The kiss lingered and deepened. Alex leaned up and looked down at the woman under her. Her fingers brushed over the collarbone, over the curve of her breasts and then the stomach, smiling as muscles moved under her fingers. "You want me," she said. "You want me to touch you."

 

Nikita's neck curved and her eyes closed. She felt those hot lips, that silky tongue brushing over her throat as Alexandra leaned in again. Fingers stroked feather light over her nipple, her back arching begging for more, for firmer touch. Deft fingers pinched her nipple lightly. Alex's voice came out firmly. "Eyes open. I want you to watch me."

 

Nikita's opened to Alexandra's, tracking her as she moved down. Alex's tongue brushed her nipple, eyes never leaving Nikita's. Teeth scraped her nipple, eliciting a hiss before a warm, wet mouth covered it. Nikita's breathing changed, reflecting growing excitement. Teeth, lips, and tongue first covered the other nipple and then slowly moved down.

 

Hot breath moved over Nikita's mound. Nikita's free hand twisted into Alex's hair as she tried to arch up into her. Alexandra pulled back. "Ah ah ah." She slid up Nikita's body slowly. Her lips captured NIkita's again. Fingers brushed against her center.

 

A deep groan broke from Nikita's throat. Alex pulled back slightly. "You're wet for me. You want me so bad you are about to go out of your mind. I like that." She nipped Nikita's throat before sucking at it rhythmically matching the maddeningly light touches on her clit. Nikita was crying out, "Please."

 

Alexandra whispered into the other woman's ear, "Since you asked so nice." She nipped and kissed at Nikita's collarbone as her fingers slid home filling Nikita.

 

Nikita wrapped her strong legs around the Russian woman trying to pull her hard and fast against her. Alex responded by setting a deep fast irresistable rhythm. Nikita undulated against the fingers in her. "Alex. Please," she panted.

 

Alex smiled and added a finger, pulling Nikita to her orgasm. Nikita cried out and gripped the other woman fiercely. Alexandra laid out on top of her. She hated to admit it but this woman was damned beautiful when she came. She enjoyed the control she maintained over Nikita. Alex was in no hurry to end their encounter. 

 

 

When Alex had skillfully driven her over the edge again, Nikita ran fingers down the back of the oxford. "Take off the cuff. I need to touch you," she announced breathlessly.

 

Alexandra pulled back and shook her head. "That's not how this works. I'm going to get dressed... then I'll let you loose." She sat up and stroked Nikita's stomach avoiding her eyes. "I'll be right back." Standing, Alex grabbed her clothes and headed to the bathroom.

 

Nikita reached under the pillow and grabbed the key. She considered unlocking herself for long moments before replacing the key and laying back. Her hand gripped the cuff as the door of the bathroom opened. Alex walked out. She smiled and leaned in the doorway. "You look good like that." the younger woman purred.

 

Watching her, Nikita stretched lazily. "Oh? I might say the same of you... when you are out of that dress."

 

Alex picked up Nikita's cell and quickly tapped into it. "I took the money. My ... business manager is at this number." She looked up and put down the phone before crossing the room to brush knuckles against silken skin. A key lightly landed on the pillow beside Nikita's head. Alexandra leaned in and gently kissed the other woman briefly before walking out.

 

Nikita sighed, she had a lot of thinking to do.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Nikita stood looking long and hard into the night. Stars above barely had a chance to shine under the onslaught of the city light's below. She played it out over and over in her mind. How was she to free Alexandra? She would have to help the younger woman get past her addictions, but she was loath to do it as an homage to Trainspotting where she would chain Alex up with a stack of soup cans and saltines. This was a particularly bad scenario when one thought about her own leash, Division.

To move forward, Nikita thought, she must remove her own leash. It would be even more dangerous to go rogue than it had ever been to be Percy's cannon fodder. Her teeth gritted as she thought of Kelly again. Kelly and her lover both died for Percy's little narratives. Nikita shook her head. She would not die for Percy or Division. Ever since the night she killed Alexandra's father, she lost her taste for killing for them as well. Cancelling a thirteen year old girl was the line she refused to cross. It was time to cut the link.

Time to go rogue...but how? She could simply run for it. That would be the fastest way. Of course depending on the where and how, Division would put bloodhounds on her in short order. Maybe she could throw a little gasoline on her own trail...or better yet thermite. She smiled. That would be trickier, but it could throw off the ghouls a little longer, perhaps permanently.

She looked up as a plane went over. It was going to be dangerous, but she had to write her own narratives from this point forward. Percy had to be cut out of her life so she could cut Vlad out of Alex's.

 

* * *

 

 **Nikita** smiled as her hand stroked down the balcony rail before she tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. A kiss feathered her shoulder and the scent of cologne reached her nostrils. She barely covered the shudder of revulsion that threatened. She wanted Alex's lips to be there, the other woman's scent caressing her. No. This wasn't about that. She needed to make things right. Anything else was just...

Nikita tilted her head. "I'll be in shortly." She turned and gave the tall dark man behind her a sultry smile. He pulled her hand to his lips. Nodding, the arms dealer went back into the luxury apartment. He was wearing a polo above artfully ripped and faded jeans. The picture of pretentious unpretentiousness. It was a good thing he was good at his job, because he obviously would not make it as a male model. He definitely needed to stick with cordite and thermite.

The best thing about arms dealers, they often keep stock cached nearby. Getting free could be made easier with the addition of some explosive that didn't come with a boatload of Division suspicion. She could take some of the business stock at Division, but she didn't want anyone questioning a light load. She would play this story out with explosives courtesy of the dealer. She smiled at the black eyed killer as he moved to the fireplace. She had to play the honey trap from time to time for Division, but she would willingly be a canny slut for herself and for the freedom it would soon gain her.

Nikita stepped over to the ornate oak and brass bar and poured a couple drinks. Jonah Hunt would be back in town in two weeks. She would work magic tonight and ensure that he would call her again when he came back. When he did, that is when she would make her break.

 

* * *

 

 **Amanda** sat at the desk and watched Nikita with a smile. "You seem... content today."

Nikita leaned back in her own chair and smiled in return. "I am... happy that I have made a good connection with Jonah Hunt. He'll be a very good resource for Division." She enjoyed the office. The vicious bitch that sat across from her outfitted her rooms with a style and grace that belied the blackness in her heart. Nikita once wondered if the agency's queen venomous bitch was the reincarnation of Marie Antoinette, but While Amanda had the woman's style, she didn't have her big mouth.

"Nothing of a ... personal nature promoting the contentment?" The older woman watched her face closely.

Nikita smiled again. This was dangerous. Amanda tended to be very good at ferretting out the kinds of truths that led to dead agents. She had to be careful. "I was upset after Kelly died... but I think I am starting to find ways to fill that void."

Amanda's eye brows shot up. "Oh?"

Nikita chuckled. "I am enjoying a more Zen approach to food and wine. It's surprising how relaxing a nice white wine can be."

"So long as you don't over do it." Amanda tapped her computer. She looked up. "You are a good agent Nikita. I want you to feel you can come to me about anything."

Snake to the mouse, I'll just prop my mouth open and you can sleep on my tongue anytime... perfectly safe. Nikita bit back the smile that this thought caused. "I value our relationship," she responded.

Amanda watched her for long moments and then opened a desk drawer pulling out a pad of paper. She scribbled something and slid it to Nikita.

Her brow creased as she picked it up. "What's this?"

Amanda smiled. "Prescription. Take a glass of this vintage and call me in the morning."

Nikita pocketed the paper and stood. "I'll do that." She left closing the door gently behind her.

Amanda's friendly smile faded. She frowned as she considered the possibilities. Nikita had shown signs of restlessness of late. Her new contentment could be a simple case of finding a calm in a bottle of wine, but Amanda was not known for simply accepting the easiest truth however. There could be something troublesome at play here.

She tapped away at the keys on her computer, finishing up the report of their session.

_Agent could be hiding something. Nikita's increased restlessness should be monitored and reevaluated further._

She closed the screen on her laptop. "What are you hiding, Nikita."


	5. Chapter 5

Alexandra soaped up the drinking glass and smiled as she lost herself in a momentary fantasy. A moment of dreamy eyes evaporated as her pimp's growling voice cut through again. "I heard you the first time, Vlad. I'm just going to finish up and then I'll get ready... I won't be late." She grimaced. She hoped he didn't hear the snipe under the words. The night's work was not what she wanted in the least.

His fingers slid into her long brunette hair and pulled her head back sharply. She bit back the yelp. He carved out tongues that did things they weren't supposed to. Cutting out hers would be an enjoyment to him. His dank breath washed over her face as her fingers found the nearest surface to help her keep her balance. "The money you brought me last time did not pay for forgiveness. You will bring back a lot of money to apologize further for failing with your last job or so help me Sasha, I will carve you into tiny pieces and feed you to Killer. Do you understand me?" He shook her hard before releasing her sending the glass to the floor and Alex hard into the counter. She closed her eyes at the explosion of pain.

Her hands tightened on the edge of the sink and she smiled slightly as she imagined the large blackened iron skillet just a breath away from her fingertips in his head. Her fingers brushed the metal still warm from the hot soapy water. "I would never do less than my best for you," she said in a quiet voice that hid her dark intents. Schooling her face, she looked back at him.

"Clean up the damn glass before you go bitch. Don't leave my kitchen in a mess." He turned and left never knowing how close he came to death.

She knelt and picked up the shattered glass fragments from the tired linoleum floor. She watched as a bead of blood slowly moved over the pad of her finger after Alex tossed a particularly sharp piece in the garbage. Her head came up at the sound of the dogs in the cages below moments before an engine gunned. He had no problem leaving her to her own devices. Her leash was even more effective than the cages below. Looking at an empty cellophane bag on the table she growled. Grabbing it up she tossed it in the trash.

 

* * *

 

Nikita closed her eyes as the vegetable lasagna exploded with flavor in her mouth. Jonah chuckled. "Do you two need a room?" His eyes twinkled as he put another bite in his mouth with a grin.

Nikita's eyes opened. "I'm sorry?" She pulled the napkin from the lap of her little black dress to touch it to her lips before taking a sip of red wine.

He chuckled richly as he gestured at the plate. "You and the food. You... You're having a foodie orgasm." The man dabbed his lips with a cloth napkin.

The woman across from him shrugged. "It's a worthwhile love affair." she paused briefly. "Life is short. We have to learn to appreciate the little things in life. Don't you agree?"

He smiled broadly and took a forkful to taste. Hunt ignored her upraised brow. He shrugged. "Tasty," he agreed before turning back to his own rib eye steak.

Nikita barely stopped the eye roll. She faked a smile and went back to her vegetarian lasagna. Almost done. Almost there. Her mind kept chanting these phrases as her fingers tightened on the fork she was tempted to plant in his hand. She planted it in her food again.

Hunt's cell phone rang quietly and he frowned before pulling it from his inside pocket and answering. "What?" After listening a moment he swore quietly. "When?" His eyes darted to Nikita. "Fine," he growled. Tugging out his wallet he pulled out some cash and tossed it on the table. He hung up after writing down an address. "I need to take care of something. Finish your lasagna."

Nikita tossed her napkin on the table. "I'm done." She smiled engagingly and signaled the waiter.

He looked from her to the approaching waiter. "I have business to take care of." He stood and buttoned his coat, straightening his tie.

"I'll stay in the car, Jonah. Please," she flashed a heart warming smile. "I just want to be near you."

He thought for several long moments before nodding. "Stay in the car," he warned as he came around to pull her chair back for her.

She smiled happily. "Not a problem." Nikita planted a kiss on his cheek.

Nikita marked mentally the warehouse where the car stopped first. She pictured her route for the night. She would return, dressed in black. The assassin would come in from above to avoid the fairly obvious alarms on the place. If things went well, she would leave with enough explosive to burn away her life with Division. She smiled and winked at her reflection in the side mirror. She was inches from making things right.

She looked out at the darkened warehouse district. Nikita sighed as she brushed her hair back over an ear. Old life gone, she would start a new life for herself and Alexandra. But... she knew that she had to cut the strings with Division and cut away Alex's old life before she could make that happen. There was a certain vagueness in the future beyond that, but time would tell.

Amanda tapped her chin. She swiveled her desk chair to look at Birkhoff. He shifted uncomfortably as she stared at him for seconds. "So um, Amanda. I checked on Nikita. She hasn't had any unusual expenses or movements tied to any of her identities."

"Known identities," Amanda mused. "Dig a little more, Seymour. There may be nothing here... but it pays to be sure." Amanda smiled as she continued to stare at him. "Why are you still here?"

Birkhoff jumped up. "Right. On it."


	6. Chapter 6

 

Nikita moved slowly down the path laid in planks across the roof of the warehouse. She had a red beamed light to give her some guidance in the moonless night but she still needed to be careful. The last thing she needed was to twist an ankle following the workmen paths up here. About twenty feet from the warehouse street side she turned off her light. There was a skylight of clouded and ancient looking glass. She lowered herself and slid closer.

The edges were not in any way worn. That indicated infrequent useage. Nikita frowned. She crawled further around to find the small alarm unit. If it was lifted, she would have two enemies, the alarm, and the hinges which no doubt would scream. She examined the panes. Looking through the small bit of glass that wasn't filthy or milky she saw that she was above a catwalk. Piles of crates littered the floor below. A group of men with weapons moved toward a table where some take out was being distributed.

Nikita pulled the top of her thigh pack and extracted a trio of lines with suction on the end. Attaching these to a pane, she worked a cutter. The glass fell a very short distance before the string brought it up short, she gently manuevered the glass back through the hole. Placing it gently on the rooftop she leaned in, grabbed a bit of metal that went around the base of the skylight and slid through. Her legs wrapped around a pipe and she used it to lower to the cat walk.

This would be the hard part unless she was very very lucky. She had to work out where the explosives were, remove some, extract back out the skylight and leave all without disturbing the hornets in the nest. She took out a monocular and settled laying on her stomach and elbows, slowly sweeping the crates looking for what she needed.

Nikita grinned tightly. The crate she needed was in a short pile, waist high from the warehouse floor. It would be easy enough to get what she needed, as long as the guards kept stuffing their faces and talking about their conquests. She moved to a mid point of the warehouse out of sight of the guards and slid down a pipe. She edged closer to the stack she needed. As she hoped, the top was already pulled up. It was only good business to ensure a shipment matched the manifest. She froze as a man rose and moved in closer as he moved toward a restroom. She moved the lid and pulled free a pair of blocks of explosive and a pair of the detonators in a bag in the same crate. Sliding the top back, she left the way she came. Quietly, unseen.

She used a thin sheet of plastic and some superglue to leave the pane able to withstand a brief glance and began following the roof walkways to the fire escape. Nikita moved swiftly and silently to her car. She had the means to free herself. When she freed herself, she would begin to free another.

 

* * *

 

**Alexandra**  sat down on the narrow bed in her little room. She was one of the fortunate ones. Several of her ilk, the sex slaves and prostitutes only rated the same cages that Vlad used for his fighting dogs or mattresses separated by curtains. Training and her chemical leash had slowly won her more. Given the kind of customers Vlad worked with and his all too lethal temper, few girls lived long enough to get this far. She tightened her fingers in the cheap bed spread. She was no fairy princess. No Charming was going to rescue her.

Her face tightened. She wanted to fight. No. She wanted to kill Vlad. She wanted to be free and open the door so those still intact enough to run could do so. Alex's chin came up. She could be strong enough. That animal that kept her would not hold her forever.

Vlad's feet slapped the hall floor. He opened her door without a knock. She lowered her eyes and played meek. It would not pay to let him in on her thoughts. He dropped a cellophane' baggie onto the bed next to her. "I will be gone all afternoon. This is all you will be getting until I return. Make it last. Take it now, and then get ready to work... You have been requested." He looked at her fiercely. "Do not disappoint me."

Alex fought down the signs of excitement. Could it be the woman? "Who?" she asked, her tone almost betraying her interest. Fortunately her owner and pimp was too self centered to care.

Vlad chuckled. "Duso. Meet him at the usual place. Do not be late." He turned and left the room abruptly.

Alexandra let out a ragged breath. Duso was an animal. She picked up the baggie. Her fingers crushed it. To be free, she had to stop with the poison. To deal with Duso, she had to be high. She closed her eyes tightly. Opening her hand she placed it on the covers. Just a taste. She needed a little to get through this. She hated herself, but she needed to do this. Standing, she made her way to the bathroom.

 She was soon ready to face Duso. There was enough in her blood to ease the ache and level her out... almost. She crumpled her fist around the bag. She shook with the need to do it all. She swallowed hard and walked to the toilet. It took all her will to drop the baggie. She watched it float around for seconds before her fingers moved to flush it. Her eyes closed and a tear rolled down. It was all just beginning. It would be getting harder. Not easier... Just harder.


	7. Chapter 7

 

Nikita took a long slow breath, her eyes closed as the breeze cut away at the warmth of the rays of the sun above. She smiled. She would be cutting her leash shortly. Part of her wanted to reward herself with a call to a certain young woman. It was strange. Their lives had not collided that long ago, but she felt Alex in her blood. She was dying to feel Alex other places as well.

Nikita barked a laugh and began walking. She would finish her preparations for the weekend and then she would call. Everyone deserved to treat themselves to time with people that they... people who made you feel good. She turned the corner and saw movement out of the corner of her eye. People thought spider sense was a joke, a made up feeling to give costumed superheroes a little extra power, but it was real. When you knew how things were supposed to be, you knew when something was not quite right even if you weren't quite sure what it was.

She stopped to look in a shoe store window. Looking into a reflection, she spotted the junior agent. She rubbed her temple. Amanda was likely covering her bases keeping Nikita under surveillance and didn't think it was a big enough issue to put an experienced agent on it. She sighed. Nikita did some quick calculating. If she took down the agent it would send up a red flag. If she left him, she would have to be careful about revealing her plans. Her face slowly lightened. She just had to make him go away temporarily.

Leading the junior agent toward the restaurant row, she looked back and forth trying to work out her best options. Locating an appropriate alley, she slid into a Greek restaurant. She tapped a coffee mug as she sat at the counter. Nikita made it a point to not look directly at the junior agent. Her eyes narrowed. What was his name? She shook her head. He was Bob now. She opened her cell phone and pretended to listen.

Standing, the beautiful agent made her way to the alley and moved to the side. Bob came out of the door at a run. She dropped the strap of her messenger bag over his neck and used his momentum to slam him into the wall. She hogtied him with the same strap as she tumbled the dazed junior agent to the ground.

Nikita pursed her lips. "I just got that bag." She disconnected the strap from the body of her bag. She wrapped her fingers in his hair and lifted his head. "Hello Bob."

"Not Bob," he said in a slightly groggy voice.

"I am not your trainer, but I am giving you a free lesson here. You should probably not tell Amanda you managed to get yourself into this mess. I will leave a knife handy so you can work on your escapology and I am going to get dinner...maybe get laid." She patted his straining shoulder. "I will be at the diner at First in four hours, you can pick me up there. Just tell them I spent the time in retail therapy and spa time."

"I have to follow you," he complained as he continued struggling.

Nikita shook her head. "You don't get it. If you tell her you lost me, she will eliminate a singularly clumsy agent. If you give me the time I need to decompress and pick me up at the diner and not tell anyone about this little lesson, you get to live. I refuse to have a snot nosed new guy with terrible stalking skills hang over me while I have sex. If you try, I will castrate you before Amanda kills you for getting yourself tied up."

He chewed on this for long moments. "Promise you'll be there."

She smiled. "I'll even buy the pie."

 

* * *

 

**Alexandra** frowned. Dasu made her feel dirty. Her skin was already screaming from trying to bring her drug consumption down and his touch was making her feeling like there was an army of ants under her skin. A junkie she knew told her to get some Imodium and tagamet to get her through as they sat on the bus bench together. He would know. He had quit almost every drug known to man at one point or another.

Dasu smiled darkly. "Get me a drink while I go get some toys."

Alexandra took a shaky breath as he went into the other room to get wooden and leather toys. She moved to the small bar and looked over the selection. Her fingers were just brushing the cut glass whiskey decanter as her phone vibrated. She put it to her ear. "Yes?" she said quietly. A slow smile spread over her lips. "Twenty minutes," she responded before getting off her cellphone. After pocketing the phone, she began pouring the drink.

"I'm going to break you up tonight bitch," he announced without prelude before dumping a ball gag beside her on the counter.

Her eyes narrowed. When the gag came out, girls came back to the house useless for days, even weeks after. Alex only survived the last time by being high as a kite. She blinked slowly, lowering the decanter. Dasu tangled his fingers in her hair and yanked hard. She stared him in the eyes. His fist caught her jaw. Alex landed hard against the counter, and grabbing the decanter swung with all her might.

The smell of whiskey covered the smell of blood. She crouched and felt his throat. The son of a bitch was alive. Hopefully, he would not be talking to Vlad until she could figure something out. Pulling his wallet with two fingers, she opened it and took out a large wad of bills. "Honestly, this doesn't even cover the last time." she told his unconscious body. Standing, she kicked him and left. She needed to stop at the pharmacy before she met with the woman.

 

* * *

 

**Nikita** smiled as she opened the door. "Hello." Her eyes narrowed and her fingers brushed Alex's jaw. "What happened?"

Alexandra shrugged as she dropped her coat on a table by the door. Her hands went to Nikita's hips. "I was at a party before this."

"Must have been some party." Nikita smiled at the feeling of Alex's hands on her hips.

"You know the old saying its not a party until something gets broken? The host was the one who got broken so it went downhill from there." She smiled. "Money in the same place?"

Nikita laughed. "Money on the sink, cuffs on the bed frame."

"Mmmmm. Classy, you remember how I like it." Alex pressed Nikita back and kicked the door closed. She moved a hand to press between Nikita's breasts, slowly pressing her back to the bed. Alex found the lines blurring as minutes became hours. At some point, commerce became love making.

Nikita cradled Alex against her chest with the one arm she had free of cuffs. She looked at the clock and frowned. "I have to get to work soon Alex," she said regretfully.

Alexandra nodded. "I have to get back soon too."

Nikita took a breath. "I'm not going to be around next week...maybe for another week after that... but if you need a place to spend time... you could come here."

Alex lifted her eyes and looked at Nikita puzzled. "I'm a hooker. You pay me and you're offering me squatting rights?"

Nikita chuckled. "Just want to protect someone who makes my day."

Alex drew herself up and pulled on her shirt. She paused. "Key?" she asked. She would need a place to detox. She sure as hell wasn't going to clue Vlad in on her plan to get free.

The older woman jerked her chin at the kitchen counter. "Spares in the candy dish." Her eyes grew serious. "I need you to take care of yourself while I'm gone Alex."

Snorting, Alexandra grabbed the key. "I've been taking care of myself for a long time." She finished dressing and laid the handcuff key ceremoniously on the pillow. "You'll call me?" she asked trying to be casual.

Nikita smiled almost wistfully. "I'm going to try."

Alex nodded firmly and went to retrieve the money on the sink. "Safe trip," she said over her shoulder as she left.


	8. Chapter 8

 

Alexandra Udinov stared at the building with loathing in her eyes. The discolored bricks had long hidden one of the circles of hell. You could barely hear the blood and pain maddened dogs of the fight club and you couldn't hear the scared and scarred women in cages behind the discolored mattresses leaning against every wall in the basement.

Alex was going to get out, but she couldn't leave those other women to face her hell. She took a shaky breath and ran fingers through her hair. She summoned courage from whispers of memory of a life before this and from eyes of a woman who didn't look at her or treat her like a rental fuck any more than she had to. Sasha the sex slave, became Alexandra Udinov the Strong.

She entered the building and quietly placed her bag on a nearby table. Alexandra opened the door and walked through to the kitchen. Vlad grabbed her by her hair and spun her to the wall dazzling her with the pain of the impact. Blood dripped from her nostrils as he threw her to the kitchen table. The corner caught her ribs in a blast of pain before it tilted crashing both table and Alex to the cracked linoleum.

"Did you think I wouldn't find out?" Vlad roared.

"I have money," she responded as if it were a shield.

He kicked her. "You have nothing."

Vlad kicked her again and grabbing the shoulder of her shirt and her hair, he tumbled her down the stairs to the basement. Women who only moments before had been screaming silenced at the sight of him dragging her past. No one wanted to wake the beast.

Alex felt her nail rip as she tried to grip anything she could to forestall what he had in mind. The dog barked louder as she screamed and struggled. Vlad smiled grimly as he kicked at the thick metal of the rolling door.

He dragged her to a manacle he had attached to the concrete floor of the fighting area. The girls were expensive, but he could recoup the loss with his vicious fighting dogs. His fist struck Alex hard and she went limp. Vlad swiftly pulled the door closed. He spun to look at the limp young woman near the center of the circle. He turned slowly and eyed the crazed dogs. Mentally he selected two and moved to stand over Alex. His lip curled. "Too bad. You were a good earner." His eyes widened as he heard a click.

Alexandra rolled out and away from him. She looked at him through a bloody mask. He was yanking at the manacle she had put on him. Pulling out the key, he found it kicked away. She smiled grimly as he realized that Alex had just kicked away his chance to save himself from what came next. She had to hurry. Vlad's boys would be coming soon for the evening work. She spat at him and ran out of the circle. She closed the gate and hit the switches as fast as she could, snarls, howls and screams followed her to the women. Alex wondered idly just how long Vlad would last as the dogs attacked.

"Run. I am calling the authorities." She told the women in Russian. She didn't trust the authorities any more than the former Vlad, but they would at least put this business on ice for a little while.

Women flowed past her out of the building as she snagged her bag. She rocked hard into a brick wall with sudden dizziness. She shook her head and headed to the only safety she knew, digging a phone out of her bag as she went.

 

* * *

 

 **Nikita**  opened the door to the parking garage. Her lips curled as she heard a powerful pursuit engine start up nearby. "Hello Bob." Once she would have been annoyed finding a fairly incompetent tail on her. Now, she was grateful. She bounced Jonah's keys in the palm of her hand. Sliding into a leather seat, Nikita savored the moment. She upended her bag in the seat next to her. Human bone fragments strategically charred (unfortunately in such a way you couldn't id them) a bottle of blood, hair from her brush, basically an array of DNA sources surrounded a vastly overpowered bomb.

As she drove, Nikita seeded anywhere that might survive. A bit of blood in the vent, a touch of blood covered bone in an open ashtray, hair in the steering column caught on the ignition.

She had few illusions that it would fool them forever, but she just needed a few weeks in the wind to lay the false trails and misleading clues that would obscure her true location.

Nikita's eyes flicked to the rear view. Bob was several cars back. She roared up the on ramp. The freeway immediately curved toward an overpass. A few deep breaths and a bomb switch was depressed and slid under a leather seat. She took the curve fast. Her bag sat on the gas heavy with gun and other metal goodies. From his angle chasing up the curve Bob never saw the passenger door crack open just before grassy verge became empty space arcing over a busy roadway.

The blast singed Nikita as she desperately tried to slow her fall down the too steep hill with battered fingers. She barely caught ground before the drop a way onto another busy freeway. Her head hung over the edge as she gasped desperately for the air that the tumble had blown out of her.

Bob would be getting out of his car. Nikita threw herself down into a dump truck full of dirt resolving to never look back.

 

* * *

 

 **Amanda's** face tightened. "Assume she's alive," She stated simply.

Birkhoff looked up. " It was the gun runner's car. He would be a really bad arms dealer if he didn't have people trying to kill him.". He quailed under the fury in Amanda's eyes. "Right. I'll get back to work on hidey holes."


	9. Chapter 9

 

A slow heavy hand drew the pencil over the scratch pad as it lay nestled in a pile of crumpled papers, each bearing a single number. Flakes and dustings of graphite flurried as the tip slowly swirled a six into life. Alexandra gave a choked sounding cough as the OTC drugs went down her throat and acid threatened to come up. She pushed the pad away with an exhausted and disgusted moan. It had seen times of day written on it for a few days now. Alex was trying to space her meds out so she didn't run out before she was out of the woods. Each day she dragged herself from the cool of the bathroom tiles to get some air at the window. She almost laughed to imagine expanding that misery to include a trip to the store.

It was time again. She didn't want to move, but her daily trip to the window helped her feel less helpless. Kind of ironic when she thought about the way she got there. Alex put her hand on the glass block wall and the other on the floor slowly levering herself out of prone lump on tile position. She bit back a sob and rocked herself into a kind of crawling motion. She had tried to stand at one point but bruises showed just how far it had been to fall. A whimpering crawl across rugs thrown over dark wooden floors had been her best choice.

Grant landed on the fire escape landing. He looked around before climbing up several steps and sitting down. "Here," he announced.

"Grand Grant," Birkhoff announced tiredly, wiping a bit of sleep from his eyes. "You have the thermal up?". He suddenly straightened in his chair as Amanda came by. He silently cursed his luck as she paused behind him. He tried to be subtle about knocking his Xena doll off the desk.

Grant leaned forward and placed the tiny thermal imager against the glass. " In place."

Birkhoff read the image. "One warm body….. Coming at you," he said in a slightly panicky voice.

Amanda's fingertips pressed tightly into his shoulder as she leaned in. "I want visual."

"Camera," Birkhoff yelped.

Grant drew his gun smoothly and flicked on his camera. If this really was Nikita, he would be legendary for taking her out. He smiled grimly and raised his weapon. The window creaked open. A pallid set of fingers slid out and grasped the grating of the fire escape. A woman dragged herself out.

Grant's lip curled and nose wrinkled at the sour smell of sweat rising from this woman. Her lank hair obscured her face, but no one who had ever been flattened on the mat by Nikita Mears herself could mistake this wreck for Nikita. The muzzle followed the woman but she didn't even look up.

"Junkie," Birkhoff scoffed. "Ew," he added as she began vomiting thinly through the grating of the fire escape. He startled as Amanda leaned in to watch intently. "Even if we can't see the face, it's pretty obvious that the junkie is not Nikita and I doubt Nikki would shack up with a strung out kid like that."

"True," Amanda purred out. She looked down at Birkhoff. "Move Grant on but send this address to my computer. I may want to look this young lady up later for a project in the future.". She smiled like a crocodile. " Carry on."

Birkhoff heaved a sigh of relief as she stalked out before cringing anew at the sight of Alex emptying her stomach again. "Oh for Pete's sake. Grant clear out and head to the next address.". He clicked off the visual link and went to get a red bull to clear the acid taste in his own mouth. He turned back briefly to rescue Xena with a muttered apology.

Grant aimed the weapon at the junkie in disgust.. He could blow her away and call a cleaner. He could say she saw him. Was she worth the trouble of an unsanctioned kill? Raised (for lack of a better word) by a junkie he was sorely tempted to remove this maggot from the world. He mouthed 'Bang' and waited for her to press herself back into her hole.

Alexandra pushed through and dragged the window closed. For a half a moment she swore she saw shoes but she shook her head sobbing. Hallucinating. Terrific. She dragged a shirt from the bakers rack and curled around it. The scent of the other woman clung lightly to the fabric. Alex tried to take a measure of the other woman's strength. She swallowed hard as she felt the room lurch. It was time to take up residence in the bathroom again.

 

* * *

 

 **Nikita**  moved forward in the line with a lurch. Facial recognition software constantly marched forward and got smarter, but there were ways to fool it. The surest way with the software in the airport she was passing through was simply to take one's face fifteen degrees off true.

To accomplish this angle, maintain it, and raise no suspicion was the trifecta. Nikita had done so by feigning an illness that left half her body, especially her neck weak. A little dye, a little aging make-up, some acting and Nikita became Rose Cho who was having no trouble travelling. That was good because she would have enough trouble when she got where she was going.

Nikita was dead. She would need more money and resources to stay in her undead state. Thankfully, years of spy work had given her tools and opportunities to turn to a brief and (hopefully) very lucrative life of crime. One job and she would go back to kick Vlad's ass and save Alex from him and herself.


	10. Chapter 10

 

Nikita watched through the monocular as the guards shared a few moments before two went off duty. One mimed a layup to the laughter of the others. She shook her head and lowered herself down off the wall. When people sacrifice security to keep cops from noticing, they are going to get hit sooner or later.

She pursed her lips and tried to work out the risks. Dead... Dead was a risk, but that assumed that she would be spotted. Nikita smiled. She hasn't even been seen when she had been footloose at the airport as Rose Cho and she had been annoying in her visibility.

Who was going to connect a geriatric bitching about her slutty sixty year old sister with a spy? Apparently nobody between home and Miami. Nikita pulled out a timetable that she had assembled from memory and a couple days of watching.

Several years ago, Division had agreed to a little artworks in the drug world. It was not enough money and power… it was lots of money and power, just not in the right places for Percy to stay interested for very long. Nikita, on the other hand was very interested, though at the time, she didn't have a need for it.

Generic rusty warehouse number 23 didn't look like much, but lots of money and drugs changed hands here. She lowered herself to a crouch and moved swiftly down the ghost town row of warehouses until she squeezed between two to arrive at the almost rusted out dock where she had stowed a few supplies. Nikita checked the light scuba tank and the large bag she attached to her belt. She pulled fins on and slid into the water. Adjusting her mask, she began swimming back the way she came.

Two boats would meet at the dock. After random checks, the drugs would move back out, straight off the coast to where it would be broken down for sales to multiple middle men. The second boat would move to any of several offload spots where the local representatives of the drug cartel would count and launder the enormous quantities of cash.

Nikita didn't need it all. That would be greedy and stupid without her own laundry services. She just wanted a taste. She wanted enough to keep Alex and herself free.

The first boat powered in over her head where she clung to a metal bar beneath the waves. She needed to know which was which. Kicking gently, she eased up. She moved back under.

The boat above had thugs and guns and green plastic wrapped powder. This was of no interest to her….or was it? She grinned around her mouthpiece. Why not put her new desire to leave Division life utterly in the past into action? She mentally tugged on a white hat and pulled at a metal cable that had fallen into the water.

A second boat was coming in slow. Nikita finished with the first boat and kicked over to the other one. Finishing swiftly, she noticed movement that suggested the crews were switching boats as scheduled. A little test, a little bravado and everyone goes off with their new boat. Kicking hard, she made her way back to her waiting spot and watched the underwater portion of the show. Unsheathed blade in her hand, she was ready.

The drug boat powered up first and apparently went full throttle almost immediately. When it reached the end of the slack in the cable, men went over the front of the drug boat as acceleration was made impossible be the fact that they were suddenly towing the money boat.

Nikita kept in position as drug men kicked for the surface. She went after the one money man that went in as the boat rolled almost capsizing when it got pulled. She held him under and then floated him between the two boats when he stopped struggling.

Nikita saw people fall in again though, this time, they would not swim to the surface as bullets had taken the fight out of them. She swam for the far side of the money boat. While the last man standing threw hot lead, she scooped two of the cubic foot blocks of cash into the water. She followed the plastic covered blocks to the bottom and tucked them in her bag.

Swimming back to her starting point, she made a mental note to let the authorities know about the trades somehow. She had to be careful. She didn't want to get pinched. Odds would be good that those trading would consider the place burnt anyway. She shrugged. Maybe let the cops figure out the corpses on their own then. Nikita hauled herself out of the water and moved the money blocks to the passenger side of her "borrowed car."

She looked at the money blocks. One was made up of hundred dollar bills. At least a million dollar take then. "That'll do," she remarked with a grin.

 

* * *

 

 **Alexandra**  stood under hard spray and let the sour sweat of detox wash away. She had a long way to go, but she was upright and damned proud of herself.

She stepped out of the steamy shower and toweled off. Feeling able to stomach food again, she went to the cupboard and drew down a can of vegetable soup. Alex pulled at drawer after drawer looking for a can opener. Her blue eyes widened as she picked up a gun.

Alexandra forgot her soup and curled up in a chair staring at the weapon on the coffee table. What was this woman into anyway? She couldn't just walk out and walk away, right? Alexandra felt in her heart that she was not dealing with a female Vlad, so who the hell was she dealing with?

 

* * *

 

 **Amanda**  stared at Birkhoff until he was ready to wet his pants. "All I'm saying is that there is a lot that screams real thing," he said referring to Nikita's apparent demise.

She nodded slowly. "Write a program to watch for her… in the meantime, no disturbances. I'm reviewing candidates for special projects all afternoon."

Birkhoff nodded rapidly in his relief and backed out of the office as Amanda brought up footage of the junkie from the fire escape.

She began taking notes.


	11. Chapter 11

 

Amanda leaned back into her chair and tapped her chin. She reached out with great speed and plucked up a phone. She put it back down. She had been about to order her car up and go out after the young woman on the fire escape herself. She was far too eager to begin working on her little project. Eagerness that could be seen, that was far too dangerous in this line of work.

She took a deep breath and held it before letting it slowly whisper out. The last thing she needed was Percy getting eyes on something she wanted. No, this toy would be hers, if she played things right. She needed an intermediary to make the grab and a little time to finish preparing the small out of the way office area she had begun stocking for the experiments she wanted to do.

She smiled. "Grant." Amanda reached for the phone again.

An hour later, Grant stood on her rug. Amanda raised a brow at his less than perfect shoes on the delicate weave. She stood and moved toward her desk. The woman slid open a random file and pretended to peruse it before looking up.

"Well now Grant, it seems you have been showing yourself to be an agent of potential."

She barely stifled her amusement at the slight puffing up of the other man. "Yes Amanda. I've been working hard."

Smiling she closed the random file on the computer and moved toward the young man. She adjusted his collar before meeting his eyes. "I think we could move you to bigger and better things ahead of schedule, Grant."

He smiled at her. "Anything you need."

Amanda let her immaculate nails slide down the first few buttons of his shirt before stepping back. "What I need is a demonstration. I think we need to play a game to show exactly what you are capable of."

"A game?" he asked clearly puzzled.

She leaned against her desk. "A game of keep-away if you will. You will extract a target and keeping radio silence you will keep the target away from... everyone. You travel, in a game zone, unseen. Keep her out of sight until you are informed otherwise and then bring her into Division. If you can get to the debrief with the target intact and without a swarm of notice, you win."

"And if I win?"

She stroked his lower arm. "You will be on the fast track...and you will have impressed me."

Grant smiled. "Worth it. What's the target?"

"The young woman from the warehouse district."

His face folded in distaste. ""The junkie?" He had wanted to put a bullet in her head and now he was to haul her carcass around protecting her.

Amanda smiled. "I am aware of your history with drug dependents, Grant. It was one of the reasons I chose her for you. You must show the depth of your commitment by protecting someone you would sooner drop in a hole and you must ensure her safety and well being in an extended period."

"How extended?" he asked, his brow knit.

She shook her head. "Weren't you listening at all Grant? Until I call you in. I won't give you a time frame. Short term, long term, that will be my decision and you will be let in when I am ready to tell you."

He stood, his head lowered for a long several moments. He looked up. "When do I start?"

Amanda moved around her desk and began tapping into her computer. "I am authorizing release of cash and weapons to you now. I suggest you leave immediately. You can't trust a junkie to stay in one spot forever."

Waiting until he left, she picked up the phone. "Yes. Percy, I have taken Grant from the program temporarily." She smiled as Percy spoke. "He has distinct flaws. I am placing him in a psychologically challenging position... Either he breaks, or he comes back." She tapped at her computer again bringing up her files on torture and brainwashing techniques. "If he survives you mean... It's an open ended exercise. I do assure you, if his work takes too long, I will cut the expense of another useless eater in Division." Amanda sipped at her cup as she leafed through her documents. "Of course Percy. Oh, and I am moving up three others to active. I will get back to my files now." She hung up. Percy didn't trust anyone, but he trusted her skills. It made for a certain amount of latitude as long as she kept him in the loop.

 

* * *

 

 **Alexandra**  sat on the bed, her legs drawn to her chin. Her blue eyes were closed and she was rocking slowly. A major victory was achieved when she was able to stand upright but she was still fighting. Her bones ached horrifically. She rocked trying to think of anything else. Her eyes drifted to the nightstand where she had placed the gun.

A noise on the fire escape drew her attention. She slid across the sheets and picked up the weapon. Alex lowered herself off the bed and onto the floor. Her eyes stayed above the covers and she looked toward the window. Was this Nikita coming? She found herself really really hoping it was.

 

* * *

 

 **Nikita** smiled as she drove her car into an abandoned looking garage near her warehouse. She had the money bundled and hidden. She could run whenever and where-ever she needed to now. It was time to find the young Russian woman. She adjusted her gun in its holster in her waistband before pulling on her leather jacket. She smiled. Her stomach tightened with excitement as she remembered the way they touched, the way Alex felt against her. She lost herself in thought for minutes.

Jogging toward her building, she heard shots fired. Nikita threw herself into the shadow of a building. A car was there. Nikita moved closer to see a Division recruit she vaguely remembered, dragging an unconscious Alex. As he threw her in the car he said, " Now all I have to do is keep you out of sight." He hissed and touched the blood on his shoulder. "Fucking junkie bitch." He kicked her as she lay prone in the back seat.

Nikita pulled out her weapon and ran back toward her car, as the auto sped away. She was not going to let Division or anyone else take her Alex.


	12. Chapter 12

 

Grant drew into the gas station. He looked into the back seat to check that his pet junkie was still out of it. "Fucking bitch," he hissed as he slid out. His blood covered hand snaked out and snatched a heavy wad of paper towels from the window washing station. He slid it into the shoulder of his jacket. The junkie apparently couldn't even operate a gun. She pulled the trigger before realizing the safety was still on. She barely got the weapon back up in time to send a bullet through the meat of his arm before he got close enough to hit her with some serious voltage.

"Should have been a bullet not a taser," he ground out from between his teeth. "Son of a bitch," he said as his fingers found the grip for the pump. "Keep away. Fucking bitch." He couldn't afford to use the prepaid credit card in his name. He couldn't risk his name out there. Grant looked one way and then the other. He smiled. This end of the warehouse district was not well traveled. He could afford to be creative as long as he was careful. He made a mental note to use a cleaner fluid of some kind on anything he might have got bleach on. He didn't need to leave dna around.

Grant smiled and pulled on a cap. He was already on camera without a doubt, but this was a little station with a small likelihood of networked security. Kill the clerk, kill the surveillance, take money, gas, food, drink and cleaner to degrade any evidence he had been here and he would be golden.

Nikita slid her car up in the shadow of a nearby building. The guy who took Alex was headed in the wrong direction to go to Division. She hadn't a clue why the woman would be taken by Division unless it was for Division, but why head the wrong way? Did they know Nikita was alive? She took a shaky breath. She needed to get Alex back, but she needed not to be on the radar again. Her eyes narrowed as she restarted her engine. He had been in the gas station for several minutes and was likely to be out anytime. He was taking Alex somewhere. Nikita would follow. She would retrieve. She would ensure news of her being among the living would not get out.

Grant had turned quickly as the gas station attendant barely looked up from his girly mag. The guy was not paying attention, but no sense advertising the bloody hole in his arm. Grant got a basket and started filling it. He smiled as he saw the decks of the recording center of the surveillance system tucked up behind the lottery ticket holders. The attendants girly mags probably pushed the equipment out from under the scarred countertop.

The attendant saw Grant almost waddling with the heavy basket. "Dude, get another basket. Leave that one up here." His eyes dropped back down and he absently adjusted himself. He looked up at a heavy thump on the counter. His eyes widened as he saw a blood rimmed hole in the other man's jacket. "Dude, you're bleeding." His eyes widened further as they focused on the dark barrel where the bullet would be emerging from Grant's gun.

"Dude, I know." Grant pulled the trigger. He watched the attendant fall off his stool with a neat hole in his skull. Grabbing a jerky from a nearby jar, he tucked the end in his mouth before he jumped the counter to destroy the surveillance system. He spotted a small dragging cart, like what grandma's use to go to the grocery store. He smiled and tossed the jerky jar and his basket of goods in. Popping the drawer, he grabbed the cash and began spreading cleaner as he went. Grant chuckled as he poured cleaner over the attendant's pants. "Such a nasty dude," he memorialized. Grabbing his loot, he made his way to the car and tossed the basket into the back seat well.

Grant locked the gas pump open and put the grip on the ground. The tank hemorrhaging, he got in the car and carefully closed the door. Driving a ways off, he fired at the wet pavement. A spark caught the vapors hanging over the pumping gas. Grant giggled as the station blew behind him.

Nikita swallowed hard and quickly drove off a block to parallel his apparent route for a short while to make sure her car would not be memorable to him. "Kidnap a woman from a warehouse, blow up a gas station. No possible gain for Division. This guy is seriously going off Division script. No way this is authorized." She chewed her lip. A man who could just do all that and blithely chew beef jerky as he drove off, there was no way Nikita could let Alex stay with him for any longer than necessary. She couldn't risk his contacting Division with her whereabouts, but she would be damned if she would let Alex pay for her fears of being found.

Nikita saw Grant's car swinging west toward an on ramp. She slid in a couple cars back. Now that they left the warehouse district, traffic was picking up and she would be less obvious.

Grant looked around. "Not much to this keep away shit." He chuckled. He didn't get much cash from the register, but there were plenty of independently owned gas stations just off the freeway with crappy security systems and beef beating attendants. If he needed money he would simply withdraw it from the bank of gas land. His smile faded as he heard a groan from the back seat.

Alexandra moved her shoulders trying to get her hands loose. She expected to hear her owner barking at her or worse, his killer mutts. Then she remembered the mutts ate Vlad. She began pushing herself up. Alex yelped as her hair was grabbed and she was half dragged over the edge of a granny cart full of food.

She looked up to see the man who took her look down with a dark eye. "Keep still and shut up. My only requirement is to keep you alive. Everything else is up to me." He pushed her back. Alex looked around with wide eyes. She would get one chance to save herself if she was lucky. She would not miss it.


	13. Chapter 13

 

Grant drove through the suburbs slowly once he got off the highway. He had to stay in the keep away boundaries and do a message exchange twice a day to find out when the game was over. He chewed on yet another piece of jerky as he turned the wheel. Alex hissed quietly in the back. Her arm was going to sleep. She wiggled trying to turn over.

"Hey! What are you doing back there? Want to be in the trunk?" Grant called back.

Alexandra shook her head. "No. I have to turn over. My arm... my arm's asleep."

"Fucking junkies," Grant groused. A very large, loud part of him just kept screaming to him to kill this bitch the way he had his mother. That kill had gotten the attention of Division. That had mostly worked out. He weighed disappointing Amanda against his hatred of weak drug addicted women.

Alex turned, her face landing hard against the seat back as a bounce rolled her hard into it. She turned her head, gasping for air. Her eyes widened as she realized something sharp was pressed against her pins and needles filled finger. The cart of goods in the well of the back seat was old and one of the wires was only attached by one end. It was a piss poor tool on a lot of levels, but Alex began trying to use the wire to get her wrists free all the while listening to Grant mutter about some woman named Amanda.

Grant grunted as he began to see signs to lure city people to pick their own fruits and vegetables. "Fucking pay to be migrant workers," he snarled. He was not feeling love for anyone at this point. Looking back and forth, from one side of the road to the other, he finally spotted what he was looking for. A dirt road curved away on one side. Faded no trespassing signs hung on trees to either side, as a decrepit barn reared up over a washed out farm house. He followed the dirt road.

 

* * *

 

**Amanda**  smiled as she entered the domain of the master geek Birkhoff. "Hello Seymour," she purred.

Birkhoff held up a finger as he continued typing with the other hand. "No... No and no. The whole point of cyber-intrusion is that you don't intrude. How the hell is you putting your head through a door going to help me break into a system with evolving security... Right." He stabbed a button angrily. "People wonder why I like fantasy. Even the meatheads have more sense in Xena... except for the whole thinking they could whip her ass thing." He frowned as he leaned into his monitor.

Amanda's brow rose. She took a step forward. "Seymour," she said again.

Birkhoff's head rose. "Here I thought they had finally taken my advice about keeping the servers colder seriously," he muttered. Swiveling, he faced Amanda. A big insincere smile spread across his face. "Amanda, how can I help you today?"

Amanda looked around at the equipment around him. "Have you found her?"

He looked puzzled a moment, before slapping his head. "Oh, Nikita." He took a drink out of the can of Red bull beside him. He pointed at it as he put it down. "Not enough taurine yet," he explained. "Nikita is gone. If she is alive, she is hiding very very very well."

Nodding slowly, Amanda stepped forward to pick up an action figure from Birkhoff's desk, pretending not to notice he was suddenly bouncing up and down in his chair in his anxiety. She smiled slightly. "Keep watching. Did you happen to set up that contact program I asked for?"

Birkhoff put his hands flat on the desk to keep them from drifting toward his Shaman Xena doll. He looked up trying to feign disinterest in Amanda's hands. "I- I did and I encrypted it like you asked and I set up the interlink in th-" He made a small whimper as Amanda's hand tugged lightly on Xena's head. "I have it all set, Amanda." He picked up what looked like a phone. Birkhoff held it out. Amanda plucked it lightly from his grip. She ran a thumb over the face of it, smiling as it lit up.

"You are accorded a great deal of leeway around here Seymour, because you are quite simply the best at what you do. See that you continue with your high standards of production..." She idly popped the head off the Xena doll with her thumb and slid it on the desk with a smile. "and discretion." Amanda turned and strode out without waiting for assurances.

Birkhoff's lip quivered as he knelt to pick up the head. "You so need to drop her in a lava river Xena," he muttered as he tried to reassemble his action figure.

 

* * *

 

**Nikita**  made it to the barn.. She smelled the hot metal smell of the car within. Her eyes went to a crack between two boards. Grant was pacing around on filthy hay and muttering to himself. She couldn't see Alex anywhere. Chewing her lip, Nikita worked on her list of options. He knew where Alex was which meant he could turn and shoot her while Nikita was coming in, if she made a sound.

The barn was old. Nikita wagered that the floors on the bottom were all dirt under the hay. A floor level assault made sense in light of that fact. Trying to get to the loft would at best mean creaking boards if not outright breakage as a result of far too many years of rain and pests on the wood above. She heard Grant open the car door. He dragged a yowling, kicking Alex out. The fight went out of her fast as he tangled his hand in her collar hard, making breathing hard as she was dragged.

Nikita's eyes at the boards saw sunlight as Grant opened the door again. "Headed to the house," Nikita noted. She looked around stlll not seeing signs of Division back up. She smiled tightly. "Fair enough. I will take you out indoors instead of out." She began to follow quietly.


	14. Chapter 14

 

Alexandra lay on a pile of dusty, rotting, and chew fabric in the corner. Before the Division agent had dragged her into the house, she had lost a bit of blood but managed to thin out the tie on her wrists significantly. She needed to be alone for a bit, but then she was confident that she could break the tie. Her eyes followed Grant as he paced back and forth in front of a computer set up on a rickety little end table from the last century. Alex didn't know what made her more nervous, the fact that explosions made him giggle or the looked he gave her as he would mutter, "Damn junkie."

She wiggled back into the corner further. Alexandra hissed quietly as her fingers contacted something unexpectedly cold. She looked over at the mad agent. Fortunately, he was less and less interested in her. Her fingers traced a long thin outline. Using the tips of her nails, Alex extracted the object from the entangling cloth. Her eyes widened... A clasp knife. Her fingers roamed over it. The metal alternated between cold and rough. She chewed her lip. If the rust patches were too big and in the wrong place, it would be useless. The young woman tried to drape herself in calm. If her hands were shaking, the next several minutes could be very dangerous.

Manipulating the blade, she turned it around. It was difficult, trying to find the small notch in the blade that would allow her to pull out the blade. It budged, just a little, but it was hope. She began wiggling it in the tiny increments that she could. If she could get it open enough, she wouldn't be weaponless. She would literally be taking a knife to a gun fight, but it was better than let this nutter do what her en-slaver couldn't and kill her.

"Ha!" Grant moved up close to the computer. He looked puzzled, rather like a puppy kicked for no reason whatsoever. "Keep it up?" He stood upright. Slamming his hand into the table, he roared out anger. "Keep it up?" He kicked at the thick lion footed base of the table. "Keep it up? How do I even reply to that?" His hand twitched toward the computer and away. His eyes drifted to the brunette. His lip curled. "You think this is funny bitch?"

"No." Her fingers scrabbled. The knife fell again into the cloth. "No, please.. Listen, just let me go, please." Her fingers stabbed into the rotten cloth after it. Her shoulders shifted back and forth as she fought for the knife and to break the tie. This crazy man needed not to get any closer to her.

His lip curled again. "She says I cannot kill you." His fist tightened and hit the table again. "Maybe ... I can kill you just a little bit." He pulled out the gun and kicked her chest, flattening her in the cloth. She cried out as her arms twisted and her hands were folded up awkwardly under her. He dropped down heavily, his knees slamming onto her shoulders. Alex tried to twist away but his weight on her left her trapped. She stilled and looked up at him, her fingers still looking for her advantage.

Grant tapped the barrel of the gun on her forehead. "Well behaved for a junkie."

Alexandra shook her head. "I'm clean, I'm clean."

His fist slammed the side of her face. She saw stars as he shouted, "Liar."

 

* * *

 

Nikita heard the shouting and the meanty sounds of an impact as she snuck through the dark old house. Her feet trod the wall side boards carefully until she got to the corner. She saw red as she spotted a man perched on Alex's chest. A trickle of blood trailed down the younger woman's face as she lay there.

A board creaked as Nikita slid into the room. Grant swiveled to see her. In that instance, Alexandra bucked and rolled under him. He raised his gun toward the interloper as he began sliding off the brunette. Alex rolled to the side as soon as one knee came off her shoulder and slid the half opened rusty clasp knife into his calf. Grant screamed and pushed himself panicked to the side.

Alexandra howled as the clasp knife was ripped from her still bound wrists. Her shoulders strained. She was not as interested in the new person in the room as getting free from Grant. She lashed out with her leg and just caught the handle of the knife with it. The knife fell again, free from Grant's leg, but covered in blood from it. Grant pointed the fun at her and was thrown back as Nikita's Glock fired.

He gasped and held his shoulder even as Nikita came close to kick his weapon away. She kept a gun on him as she crouched to cut the bloody zip tie on Alex's wrists. "Go," was all she said. Her eyes flicked down to the other woman. Grant threw the knife awkwardly at the tall assassin. As she ducked he got to the computer and started typing. She fired again, this time shattering the laptop.

"What did you type?" she asked tightly. Her gun was trained on him as her ears trained on the sound of Alex making slow progress through the house. "Who did you contact?" She stepped closer.

Grant's face tightened. "Fuck you Nikita," he snarled.

Her brow rose. "Did you contact Division?"

A yelp came from elsewhere in the house as Alexandra fell in the dark. Grant took advantage of the momentary distraction to throw a large piece of what had been his laptop at her before throwing himself out the window. Nikita began to follow but heard Alex cry out as she tried to pull a piece of splintered wood out of her torn hands.

She would get Alex and run. It wouldn't matter what Grant said or didn't say to Division. She cringed at the lie. It did matter. Everything was going to get ugly if Percy and Amanda knew the truth.

 

* * *

 

 **Amanda** frowned and summoned Birkhoff. When he arrived she waved at her laptop. "Check the program. It was opened from the other side and a message began, but I didn't get it all. Make sure its running, and then I think its time to take advantage of Grant's tracker."


	15. Chapter 15

 

Amanda frowned at the screen attached to her car's dashboard. She took a small amount of pride in getting others to do the dirty work out in the world, but this time, this was her job. She wanted the junkie for her latest personal assassin making project, and she wanted to find out what Grant was up to and avoid Percy's eye as she did it. Pulling off the interstate, she found herself on a bumpy road. She frowned. Picking up a paper cup from the holder, she sipped her tea. Her eyes flicked over to the passenger seat where a needle and a small bottle of drugs awaited.

 

* * *

 

 **Nikita**  jogged into the hall after watching Grant throw himself through a window and crouched by the young Russian. "Alex, you're okay now. You will be safe. I'm here."

Alexandra pressed herself back into a wall. "Who are you? What are you?" She was scared. She was scared of the nutter with the gun and she was scared that she didn't know whether this woman with a gun was a nutter too or not. Her hand slipped on the floor from the blood leaking from the wound in her palm. She pressed herself up the wall getting ready to run the best she could.

Nikita gently touched her shoulder. "I'm the woman who wants you to have your life back, but we have to hurry." She needed not to give Grant too much of a head start or they could be up a shit creek.

The younger woman didn't fight as Nikita helped her up and half carried her out into the world. Sweet bird song and a breeze carrying the smell of the trees made their escape from the building feel almost surreal. Alex stumbled down the stairs and looked into the sky. She turned to face the other woman and stared into troubled brown eyes. "Why?" she asked.

Nikita touched her face. "Wait here for me. I'm going to see if I can find the man who had you so I can ask him that." She looked around. "My car is that way if you start feeling like you need to hide."

Alexandra immediately started moving in the indicated direction. The last thing she wanted was to be where the gun toting nutter on the loose was easy to find. She turned back. "You'll be safe?" She was frightened, but the presence of the other woman was becoming reassuring again.

Nikita shrugged. "About as safe as it gets. Go on. I'll catch up." She immediately turned and jogged around toward the side of the building. Glass littered the ground under the broken window. Blood splashed around the place where he had landed and droplets showed his limping trail away. Nikita checked her gun and started following.

 

* * *

 

 **Grant**  hobbled, almost bouncing from tree to tree. He was weakening from blood loss and pain and he knew it. He had to get distance now while he could so he could regroup and get back to Division. He would hand the junkie to the soul sucking mega bitch Amanda, and then he would personally hand Nikita's head to the head of Division, Percy, and reap the rewards. All he had to do was get a little maneuvering space so he could figure the best way to take it.

He came to the edge of a ravine and smiled. He toddled over a log across and then recrossed back. He slid slightly in the leaves as he pulled himself down over the edge and then under the log. He pulled at his belt and waited.

 

* * *

 

 

 **Alex** threw herself in the dirt as she saw a vehicle. Considering the week she had, it was deeply unlikely that any good could be coming down the road. The car began to slow and then stopped. A tall elegant woman stepped out and looked around. She frowned lightly before she ducked back into the car. She came out holding a small screen. Turning slowly she took a deep breath. She removed her beautiful high heels and placed them on the roof of her car before setting off into the trees.

Alexandra snuck up to the car and looked in the window. It was beautifully appointed. If she had more time and fewer people to dodge she just might see if she remembered how to boost a vehicle. She shook her head and keeping low to the ground, Alex went back to looking for Nikita's auto. She hoped it would be safe.

 

* * *

 

 **Nikita**  saw the blood drops as she moved along the log. She slowly edged out looking for trouble. A belt looped around an ankle and tossed her off the log. She tumbled past Grant who was hiding under the half rotten footbridge the log provided. She hit the bottom hard and the gun flew from her hand. Grant landed, somewhat in a controlled manner, nearby. He sneered. "I bet Percy'd pay and promote me for your head."

Nikita levered herself up and looked around for the weapon as she watched and waited for his next move. She had no doubt she could take the man, but she didn't want to waste anymore time than she had to on this. Alex was probably flipping out waiting. Probably hurting for a fix as well. Her muscles tightened as she prepared to strike.

Grant snarled and whipped out with his belt. The buckle stung her face. She caught it as it swung again, using it to pull him forward as her foot shot at his midsection. Nikita tumbled away, feeling around in the leaves for the gun. He swallowed his pain and came at her again.

Nikita found the weapon and raised it. His hands wrapped around it even as the trigger pulled. His body fell back as the bullet entered, his strong hands refusing to release the gun. Nikita stepped forward to take it from the dying man, but she needed to get clear in case he had gotten a mayday out to Division. She shoveled leaves over him and climbed swiftly. She bolted toward the direction of Alex and the car.

 

* * *

 

 **Amanda**  frowned as she looked at the screen and then looked down into the ravine. The shot had come from here. She had rather hoped he might be the one on the happy side of the gun. It appeared he was not. She climbed down and took the Glock gingerly from his hands. "Might as well use the fingerprints to find out more about our junkie." She looked up at Grant's face. "I am sorely disappointed. Not entirely surprised, but disappointed."


	16. Chapter 16

 

Alexandra trembled in reaction to the very eventful day. She was tired and cold and the smell of her own blood was churning her stomach. She had heard the sound of a shot deeper amongst the trees and hid, not in the car, but under it. She had no idea what was coming next. Soon two feet slid through the leaves. They stopped beside the car. She heard "No, no, no," whispered in a familiar voice. Alex felt herself breathe again. She unhooked her fingers from their tense hold on the earth beneath her.

Alex slid out and looked up. "Nikita?" The other woman was covered in mud and blood, her clothes torn. It appeared she did not have any better of a time since they separated. Alex felt the cold deep within her melt away at the warmth in the eyes towering over her.

Nikita helped the woman get clear of the car's bottom, first sliding her out from under and then helping her stand against the vehicle. Her hand rested on Alexandra's cheek keeping their eyes riveted together. "We have to go." She stepped back and looked around as Alex leaned against the car.

"The nutter?"Alex cradled her torn hand close as she looked at the other woman closely.

Nikita looked confused a moment. "Grant?" she asked finally.

Alex shrugged. "Whatever his name is." She really didn't care to know the name of the crazy son of a bitch.

Nikita looked lost for a moment, afraid to say it to the younger woman, and maybe lose her. She swallowed hard. "Was." Her eyes looked at Alex through her lashes. Would Alex run from her?

Alexandra nodded and looked down. She stepped forward and leaned against Nikita. "Good," she said fiercely. She slid her good arm around Nikita who wrapped around her in turn. They each savored the warmth of the other.

"We have to go." Nikita leaned back to look in Alex's face. She dug her keys out of her pocket as she pulled away to open the door. Alexandra turned to watch her.

She nodded. "I know, Nikita. I saw that there was another."

Concern creased Nikita's face. Could Division be here already? She looked around as if expecting a round of ninjas any second. "Another?" she asked, her voice edgy with her tension.

"Some woman. Very fancy."

Nikita blanched. She pulled open the car door. "We have to go now."

Alexandra crawled across to the other seat. She watched as Nikita sat in the seat and starting the car, began accelerating in reverse before swinging the car in an open area and going into drive, leaving Nikita's past behind them, she hoped.

 

* * *

 

 **Amanda**  peered through the trees. She frowned as she saw a car swing away. She lifted the gun she had wrapped. "Soon," she promised. The junkie would be in the prints. She would get her guinea pig. It was without question.

Nikita slid the car down the road smoothly. She kept very carefully within the speed limit. She didn't want anyone spotting them and worse remembering them. Chewing her lip, she considered the options carefully. "Are you okay? Do you need medical care?" she asked Alex.

The other woman looked down at her hand. The bleeding had pretty much stopped. "Not as bad as I need answers."

Nikita cringed. She had to get this all out. Alexandra would bolt if she didn't know the truth here. There was no way she could cover up what had just happened with a patchwork of lies. She took a deep but shaky breath. "I am... I was an agent for a black ops program - code name Division. I was an assassin for the U.S. government, Alex. I killed people."

"You killed Grant," Alex asked in a deceptively calm tone.

"I did."

Alex nodded. "I killed the man who kept me as a sex slave." She frowned. "Actually, I locked Vlad in a room full of hungry killer dogs, but I made it so he couldn't run. The pit bulls did the rest."

Nikita slowly blew out a breath. She nodded slowly. "At least I won't have to take care of that."

Alexandra looked at her. "Did Grant take me because of you?" Was all of this ugliness with Grant because of Nikita and Division? Part of her never wanted to go through that again. Part of her had already decided to get stronger and stay stronger. It would take a bigger man than Grant to take her away the next time. She would be ready for anything, she thought.

"I don't think so. He was surprised when I came in." Nikita's lips pursed. "I hope he didn't tell Division." That was the last thing they would need. The next time they could take Alex because of Nikita and there would be a hell of a lot less chance of saving her if it was Division rather than an apparently bat shit recruit.

"Crappy retirement package?" Alex asked, though the gunfire had already told her the answer to that. "Kind of like the retirement package in my line of work," she said sadly.

"Yeah," Nikita whispered.

 

* * *

 

 **Amanda**  walked out of the elevator. She sauntered slowly toward the computer area of Operations. She looked over at Birkhoff who physically flinched as if subconsiously aware of her presence. He looked up across the room at her. Birkhoff gulped and swept Xena into his top drawer before tugging at his shirt.

She moved across the room to stand beside him. She placed the gun in a plastic bag on his desk. "I believe you have everything you need to image the fingerprints on here and get me the relevant data. Do so immediately."

Birkhoff slid the gun toward himself gingerly. "This isn't CSI, but I think I can do it."

Amanda placed her hand lightly on his shoulder and leaned in, her painted nails slowly tapping, stabbing into his shoulder. "You think?"

Birkhoff's eyes widened. "Give me a little while and I will give you a name," he hurriedly amended.

Amanda smiled gently. "Little while and report to me alone." She reached down with her other hand to open a drawer in his desk. She tapped a nail on Xena's face.

"Don't disappoint me Seymour."


	17. Chapter 17

 

Alex sat on the nubby carpet of the motel floor. She was surrounded by an ice bucket full of ice and cans from the soda machine out front and about a dozen food choices from the next machine over. She grimaced. "This shit looked so much better when I was high." Her brow knit as she looked for something remotely edible in her choices.

Nikita pulled the towel away from her still wet hair and moved toward her clothes on the battered dresser. She pulled on her jeans before tugging the towel away from her body to pull on a black t shirt still damp from the ancient laundromat around the corner from the motel. "How long?" she asked. She kicked herself mentally. She had a junkie on her hands who hadn't had anything for God knows how long. She had to be hurting.

Alexandra shook her head. "I started drying out after I... after the whole dog thing with Vlad. I can't have a new life if I'm looking for drugs constantly." She picked up some chips and ripped at the bag with her teeth. She growled at it til the seam gave under the pressure and released the smell of BBQ and Sriracha. Her stomach growled.

The older woman lowered herself to crouch by the bed. She smiled. "I'm so proud of you, Alex. I- You have no idea how proud of you I am."

The young Russian looked at her speculatively as she pulled out a chip. "Why? I mean, I know I'm all that in bed, but why are you so invested in some hooker?" She nibbled at the chip. She was right. It all tasted better when she was out of her mind on drugs.

Nikita stared down at the carpet. "I don't want you to hate me Alex." She didn't want to discuss this, but this needed to come out sooner rather than later. Better Alex hate her now before all hell really broke loose.

Alex stopped chewing. Her blue eyes narrowed and she stared at the other woman. "I heard you. You're a government killer. What could be more hateful?" She shrugged good naturedly. "We're kind of in the same boat there."

Dark eyes found her own. "I care so much about you Alex, since we met in town I've felt things for you, but its not the first time we've met."

"When?" Alex demanded sharply.

Nikita took a shaky breath and braced herself for the next reaction. "When Division sent me in as part of a team to... to kill you and your family."

"Oh," Alex said. She stared at the ice bucket for several very long moments. "Oh." She stood, shaking slightly. Whatever she was expecting, it wasn't this.

Nikita half rose, stopped by a hand-gesture from the former sex slave. "Alex.." she breathed out.

Alexandra stared down at Nikita. "You killed my family?" she asked in a hollow voice.

"Yes."

"Why not me?" she cried out.

Nikita rose and half raised her arms to the pale Russian. "I couldn't. You were a child at the time. I just - couldn't do it. I brought you to someone who I thought would keep you safe."

She scoffed. "Oops." Her anger became a mask. Alex stepped closer. Her fist tightened at her side. Nikita saw what was coming, but put her arms down slowly and held herself still. Alexandra looked in her eyes, moisture gathering, threatening to spill. Her fist lashed out.

Nikita's head snapped back. Her eyes flared briefly before she calmed herself. Her fingertips brushed the blood from her lip. She nodded. "Feel better?" she asked quietly.

"Give me the keys." The younger woman was stiff with sudden anger, her eyes were lit by fire in the dim motel room on the east end of nowhere.

"The room keys are-" The older woman began.

"Give me the goddamned car key," Alexandra snarled.

Nikita slid the key out of her jacket on the dresser and held it out. "Please come back," she said quietly. She put her heart into those words and prayed that Alex heard the things she couldn't say in them.

The door rattled the frame as it slammed shut. Nikita stepped forward and lay her forehead against the cool and scarred wood. "Please come back," she whispered as a tear rolled from her eye.

 

* * *

 

 **Seymour**  Birkhoff was not a thrill seeker. He didn't carry a gun unless he had to. He was not in any way shape or form eager to die or even be tortured. Knocking on Amanda's door, even with borderline good news was not his idea of a good time. Here he was. Amanda. Door. He needed to knock.

His fingers curled and hammered lightly on the portal to hell and his least favorite bitch demon queen. He waited for the summons and entered. "Hey Amanda," he said trying for casual and sounding like she had his balls in a vice. Not far from the truth.

Amanda looked up from her computer screen. "What have you got for me?" she asked. She slid the computer screen closed over the laptop. She gave the nervous man her full and complete attention thus increasing his nervousness.

He gave a tight grin and cleared his throat. "Good news and bad news." Birkhoff saw her stony expression and started slightly. "Bad news first then. The fingerprints are not your junkie's. We may have lost her... temporarily. Good news, we know whose fingerprints they are... Nikita's."

Amanda stiffened before standing up and stepping closer to Birkhoff. "Nikita was there. She handled that gun."

Birkhoff nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly."

"Where is she now?" she asked in a quiet and even tone.

He looked confused. "Oh. I, I don't know."

Her eyes were steel. "Find out. Now."

Birkhoff bobbed his head. "Right now. Right away." He scurried out, brain trying to work out how to find her.


	18. Chapter 18

 

Birkhoff was chattering to himself as he nervously chewed at a pen cap. "She had to be in a vehicle right?" His face twisted in a frown. "Maybe. Or she could have walked? I do not know." He chewed his lip after he spit the cap into his garbage can. "Let's start with obvious and fastest way away from Amanda 'cause honestly what kind of moron would walk with Amanda handy?" He beamed a tight grin to Xena. "See? It's a start."

His fingers were barely visible as fast as they were tapping in the cavern that was the computer situation room. He leaned into the screen as he trained his bot dogs to look for satellites with pictures of interest at the time of Amanda's little run-in with the once and future dead woman Nikita Mears. "Go get 'em boys," he muttered to his electronic dogs.

 

* * *

 

 **Nikita's**  hand pressed her hot and painful eyes. Her breathing still hitched in her chest. Her jaw ached at the place where Alex's anger driven fist had landed. She felt helpless. Years at the wet work and impossible mission work tossed to her by Division, she never once felt this lost and alone, even in the times when she had been lost and alone. She lowered her hand and blinked her eyes hard. No. She couldn't let those bastards win and they would if she just sat in this nasty motel room waiting for them to come for her.

She shook her head slowly and took a deep and slow breath. She had to think next step now. Standing still was death, she needed to move forward and preferably further away from Division. If Alex came back, she would... Nikita felt her heart warm and heal, but she tamped down on the joy that was not called for. If Alex came back, they would grab a different car and run for it. If Alex didn't come back soon, it would tear her up but she would have to go. Motels were anonymous, but not anonymous enough when people had access to the things Division did. It would break her heart, but if the younger woman didn't come back... she stood and turned on the TV, barely registering the program. If she didn't come back by the time the show was over, Nikita would start gathering her stuff and if another show went by, she would have to count the young Russian out of future movements.

Nikita lowered her eyes back into her hand as she sat back down to wait out the timer that was a crackling old tube singing Bad Boys. She didn't want to be this hard.

 

* * *

 

 **Alexandra**  drove for a few more miles before she saw a scenic view just off the road. She turned the car in and walked to the edge. She was shaking as she looked across the vista and tried to silence the memories of the night she lost her family. The smell of burning wood and cloth, cordite, the sounds of gunfire and boots. She met the maker of her nightmares and it was not a person she thought she could hate.

A part of her felt cheated. She needed to hate, to feel anger but neither was there when she summoned Nikita's face. Despair was nibbling at her and she felt the call of the drugs that put despair in its place again. She took a shaky breath. After everything she'd been through, she needed to hate. After all, it was hate and the desire of revenge that kept her going all of these years. Her face cleared. Nikita held the gun, but saved her. Someone else was demanding the trigger be pulled. "What do you call an assassin's pimp?" she asked the view.

Her smile was dark as she answered her own question. "Dead."

 

* * *

 

 **Birkhoff**  hooted. "Got you! Good boy Shadow Bot." He waved at the phone before calling. "Amanda! I got the car. Yes, I'm sure. Sending you the GPS coordinates now."

 

* * *

 

 **Alex**  slid into the car contemplating a plan of action. Nikita was not off the hook by a long shot, but if she was willing to help Alex, maybe they could work things out. She started the engine and was checking her rear view when she noticed a pair of black SUVs coming up the highway. There was something about the way they stayed slower and to the right that just seemed hinky. She gunned the engine and peeled out of the scenic, with the smell of burnt rubber just barely tickling her nose.

The two cars behind her accelerated. The brunette was not trained in evasion nor in how to kill spy types. She needed help. Alex wove in and out of traffic headed back to the motel.

 

* * *

 

 **Nikita** tossed a few bags of chips and a bottle of water in her bag. She needed her head down. Maybe a nice two-three day stroll in the woods would clear her head and give her some ideas about what to do next. Her fingers were just reaching for the door knob as she heard the sound of tires shrieking out their pain and the crumpling sound of two cars kissing. She pulled the curtain to the side. A pair of black SUVs were on either side of the little car Alex drove off in. Nikita's eyes widened. Two of the men in the back SUV pulled the young woman clear, one of them flashing a badge at the curious coming out of their motel rooms.

The front SUVs occupants whom Nikita recognized from Division flashed another fake badge at the guy in the nasty grey t shirt that came out of the motel office. They shouted questions at him. He shook his head confused a moment before pointing at Nikita's room.


	19. Chapter 19

 

Two dark suit clad fake FBI agents walked toward the room with confidence and fierce expressions. They thought of themselves as Division's finest and were going to prove it. They pulled their guns and moved to opposite sides of the door. Signalling one another, they debated who would go first. Alex screamed from the backseat of the second SUV as they burst in one after another.

The rag tag assortment of motel inhabitants drifted into her field of view as the real life Cops was unrolling in front of them. It was like crappy TV come to life. She twisted her shoulders as she fought the cuffs, her wrists still pink and sore from the Psychotic Nutcase and his bindings. The guy in the driver's seat pushed her back, causing her to bounce hard against the back of the seat. "Relax. They'll have your friend soon." He jerked his chin at the guy next to him. "I got this one. You go help with that one." Any debate was shorted as muzzle flashes and cracks of weapon fire caused the tenants of the motel to scream and run for cover. The passenger side agent ran out of the car at the explosion of excitement in the motel room.

Alexandra saw a chance and was determined to grab it. She twisted her body and cracked her heel into the other agent's head bouncing it hard into his window. He yelped as he smashed into the glass. He leaned forward slightly as he turned and she kicked again, dazing him as his head rebounded off the steering wheel. She used her shoulders and bound hands to push herself through the gap between the two seats. Aiming for the still cracked door, she slid into the other seat before noticing the agent lifting his head. As the other agent shook his head and weakly reached for his weapon, she smashed her face into his head again.

"Crap," she growled at the sudden splitting headache and briefly blurred vision. His battered head lowered again, this time unconscious. She turned and hurriedly patted him down facing away for what she needed. Blindly, she reached into his near pocket and extracted a ring with a small key on it. Hooting triumphantly, she fiddled the key into the handcuffs and released a wrist before pushing herself out of the SUV with the driver's weapon in hand and a handcuff dangling from her wrist as another trio of explosive cracks came from the motel room.

The deeply grubby motel manager in the filthy shirt and scalloped suspenders came out with a sawed off shotgun. He started raising the barrels. Alex swung the gun at him. "Drop it."

His eyes widened. Apparently he was only willing to play hero when he thought she was unarmed. His suddenly sodden pants backed that up. Dropping the rifle, he backed up. "Don't shoot." His hands were raised as he backed toward the office.

She fired at the ground between his feet to hurry his nasty ass along. "Run." He responded by smashing into his door before moving into the office and locking himself in.

Nikita had run into the bathroom when she saw the chaos in the parking lot taking the snack bag with her. She ripped down the towel bar and hid behind the bathroom door. The main door smashed open. Her teeth ripped open a potato chip bag and placed it in the sink. As the fake agents came in she pressed on the chips. One of the agents came bursting in the door to get a faceful of potato crumbs followed by a swift towel bar to his lower jaw. His gun fired twice as she smashed his face with already splintering bar.

His companion, briefly side tracked by a towel bar whipped at him, tried to push his fellow agent through the doorway to clear his way only to find his companion pushed back low into his legs by the target. Stumbling back, snarling he fired into the wall she had been behind. The cheap paper thin wall was suddenly perforated with tile chunks flying. She came flying out of the bathroom door over the prone agent, his gun bucking in her hand.

The second agent went down as the third agent came in firing. The mattress and pillows exploded as she crawled behind it. He cursed at the sight of his fallen comrades. He threw the TV table down and hid behind it. "Come out," he shouted. "Don't have to kill you."

Nikita fired through the box under the saggy mattress. It didn't have a chance of hitting him, but a good flying bullet always lowered confidence however it flew. She looked around for inspiration.

Alex came up to the door and frowned. The bullets flying around were not conducive to confidence. Looking around the door frame, she saw an agent huddled behind a table, his back to her. She raised the gun and shot at his knee. He howled and threw himself back firing at the doorway.

Nikita ran over the top of the mattress and smashed him into the wall. A strong tap with a gun butt settled the last agent down nicely.

She grabbed Alexandra who was sliding down the outside wall gripping a bloody arm and dragged her to one of the SUVs. "Are you okay?" She barked as they reversed their way clear of the motel.

Alex shook her head. "Just bleeding. What the fuck?"

"Division. They were obviously looking for the car. We need to ditch this one too." Nikita took a left turn and slowed down joining a parade of vehicles headed for the mall.

"You should leave me in the truck" Alex said with a fierce look as she tucked her gun in her waistband.

Nikita plucked it out. "The hell I will."

"You killed my father cause of those assholes. I want them, " she snarled.

The older woman looked over reading fierce determination through the pain. "I get it. Now isn't the time. Let's ditch this vehicle and then you and I need to talk."


	20. Chapter 20

 

Alex leaned her aching head back against the white-painted and dirt streaked cinder block wall as Nikita fixed her up the best she could with water and paper towels. Nikita frowned. "You sure you're okay?" she asked quietly from where she perched beside her.

Alexandra cracked her eye to look at the other woman. "I headbutted one of the guys."

Nikita sucked in a breath. "Headache then," she responded. She looked around. They were on a bench outside a park bathroom. The fragrant aroma of public restroom attended by overworked and underpaid park employees drifted out from the cracked window above. "No ice handy, but I can get you a cold rag." She looked down at the paper towel in her hand. She had used warm water, but cold water was probably more likely in this place.

The Russian woman grabbed her wrist as she started to rise. "Why are you doing all this?" Her eyes pleaded for honesty from the other woman. Her body leaned toward her as if to catch even the slightest truth from her lips. Nikita wanted to offer nothing but truth to a woman so battered by fate.

Nikita shrugged. "I owe you freedom and I care too much about you to not take care of you the best I can."

Alex looked into her eyes for long unsettling moments. She finally blinked and looked off into the trees. "I care about you too," she said grudgingly. She knew that she would have a hard time letting go of the fact that Nikita had been the hand of the murderous bastards who took the lives of her folks, but she also knew that she felt something more for Nikita than affection for a decent john. She saw the way the older woman looked at her when she looked back. "I care about you, but I am not going to stop. They made you kill them, didn't they?"

Nikita nodded. "Division kept an eye on all of us. It was a huge risk to even leave one of you alive. It was the first time I took a stand against Division. I wish it could have been more than it was." She stroked the younger woman's cheek. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Alexandra saw the fractured light in Nikita's eyes and stroked her cheek in return. She leaned in and gently placed her lips on the other woman's, smiling slightly to feel that gentle sigh against her lips. She slid her arms around her and laid her head on Nikita's shoulder. She relaxed as Nikita's fingers slid slowly through her hair. She felt the loss as Nikita pulled back slowly. "Do you still want me?" she asked quietly and earnestly.

Nikita smiled. "Always."

Smiling back Alex stood, pulling her shirt down where it had rolled up against the filthy blocks. "Let's go somewhere less fragrant. This place is making me sick."

"Me too." Standing, Nikita offered her hand. Alexandra slid hers into it, gripping tightly.

"I want them dead," Alex stated simply.

"I know. If there's a way to give you your vengeance, I will help you." Nikita stated it firmly, but inside she had doubts about putting this woman in death's path yet again.

Smiling, Alex leaned into Nikita and kissed her thoroughly. "I may not need you to wear handcuffs next time."

Nikita barked a laugh. "What if I like the handcuffs?"

"We'll have to pick up an assortment," she replied impishly, raising a brow.

Hands, one drawn from Alex's grip, stole around the Russian's waist. She leaned into the warm embrace of the murderer of her family. "Where will we go? How do we begin?" she asked quietly.

"A safe house, money. I have those set up. We start fresh. We keep our heads down. We get ourselves strong." Nikita felt as if she was reading off a revenge shopping list and perhaps she was.

"We destroy Division," Alex added firmly.

Nikita looked into her face. "We destroy Division." She stroked Alexandra's cheek. "I will start by teaching you the art of hot wiring."

"There's an art?" she asked amused.

Nikita smiled. "It will look like art when I do it."

 

* * *

 

 **Amanda**  stared at Birkhoff. He shifted uncomfortably. A dozen people in the Situation Room and he always seemed to be the one destined to deliver bad news. She turned and walked slowly back to her desk. Sitting down she again looked coolly at the man by the door. "Sit down Seymour."

Birkhoff sat gingerly on the edge of a chair, His fingers were white on the carved arms and his leg muscles tensed as if he would run out at the slightest provocation. He tried to think of calming things, but images of lava flowing over Amanda were cooled off immediately by the ice in her eyes. He cleared his throat nervously and shifted on the edge of the chair.

She opened her computer and tapped at it lightly. "They did not have cams in the vehicles?" Amanda asked as she continued to type.

Birkhoff shook his head. "Audio link only. It was a scramble situation so they took cover vehicles and fake IDs, but didn't make sure that the vehicles were set up with the new video links."

"That is a pity. I think our other agents would have benefited from their example."

"Really?" Birkhoff asked with a confused expression.

"They were killed by two women, one a drug addict and the other a rogue member of this facility." Amanda slid back in her chair and watched the other man's face.

"They aren't all dead," he blurted out before thinking. He kicked himself mentally the moment the words left his mouth.

"They are now." She raised delicate finger to press a single button on her laptop before closing it. "They were assets, now they are fertilizer. Seymour," she continued. "Nikita will have gone to ground, a thing that she is quite good at. You are very good at finding those who have gone to ground. I would suggest that you not prove yourself disappointing."

Seymour Birkhoff shook his head. "I will find them."


	21. Chapter 21

 

Alexandra looked over at the naked woman holding her in the bed. Nikita lay still and relaxed looking in her sleep, her lips still lightly curled from the way they had begun their evening in the motel bed. While it was not the safe house that they had been on their way to, it was deemed safe enough for the night when they drove slowly past it. It was a pit in the middle of a district where cameras only hid in convenience stores. No one else could afford them. A filthy motel in the middle of the city, Alex found herself back in memories of her life as a drug addicted Russian sex slave despite the company. Her brow creased. A wild craving snaked into her at the thought of the drugs that she would numb herself with when she lived that life. Closing her eyes, she forced back the desire to the further reaches of her mind. She curled up to sit on the edge of the bed.

Nikita, a light sleeper after years of paranoia and actual attempts on her life during her years with Division, felt the shift in the mattress and opened her eyes. Head turning, she found the source of disturbance nearby. Her fingertips reached out and traced the spine of her lover and her student. "You okay Alex?" she asked hoarse with a slight dehydration. She turned half over to reach for her bottle of water.

The younger woman stretched slowly, reaching for the ceiling, though not wanting to touch it as untended as the room had appeared when they came in. "I will be," she offered quietly. "I have to use the bathroom." She padded off toward the small bathroom without looking back. Nikita took her drink and looked at the closing door with concern and feeling uncertain whether to go in after her lover or not.

Alexandra turned on the light and tried to ignore the grey on every surface. She stared into the dirty mirror over the sink as if at a vaguely familiar stranger. Turning on the water, she waited for it to get warm before she brought handfuls to her face to clear away the dirty feelings of needing drugs to make things right. A piece of her felt loose and out of control. She swallowed down on her craving for numbness again. Alexandra raised her blue eyes to the mirror. Her head cocked as she caught sight of something behind the radiator reflected in the glass.

Kneeling on the little tile hexagons that formed the floor, she fished around behind the warm metal. She felt the edge of a baggie and with a finally successful attempt to hook fingers in it, pulled it free. A tiny drug rock. A glass pipe. A razor blade in a paper sheath. A lighter. Alex turned to slide her back to the wall beside the radiator and stared at her find, unwinding the rubber band that kept the battered baggie closed.. Hookers and druggies. She amended her ideas about the denizens of the filthy establishment. Her fingers trembled as she brushed fingers over the smoke darkened glass pipe. She could only imagine what would cause an addict to ditch even a little rock. She felt the craving roar like a dragon uncurling in her chest.

Alex stared at the door between her and Nikita and leaned her head back. She had a chance to make the world right again. These drugs would only give someone else control, a control she had been fighting for since Vlad came into her life. She needed to be strong. Closing her eyes, she heard again the sounds of dogs tearing her en-slaver to pieces. Her fingers pulled open the baggie. She withdrew the lighter and the blade and recoiled lightly at the pipe brushing against her skin.

Her breath was ragged as she lit the lighter under the now bare blade. She would give herself control. The blade was heated clean and she pressed it to her skin, first against a breast and then her leg. Alexandra chewed her lip as she played with the best place to lay a line of fire that would seal her claim on her own pain. She pressed the blade gently near the place that had already bled, the work of Division. A small cut just under the edge of the bandage and she smiled grimly as she pulled it back into place. She took a slow breath feeling more in charge of her destiny. A new sense of control. She hid everything again behind the radiator and turned on the shower.

Nikita slid in behind her, Her fingers drifted over Alex's skin. She frowned and leaned in. "Your arm is bleeding again," she observed.

"Just a little bit. Been a rough day." Alexandra turned and smiled. Her arms slid around Nikita's. Her lips caressed the older woman's. "Tomorrow, the safe house and training."

"Yes," Nikita confirmed. Her eyes closed as she felt feather light streams of water and feather light fingers trail over her skin. "Tomorrow," she whispered. She couldn't bear to think of training this woman to go up against a whole damned army of killers led by Percy and Amanda.

"I'm in charge til then." Alex smiled. She captured Nikita's wrists and pressed them back behind her. Her teeth slid over shower slippery skin.

Nikita's eyes opened. "Oh? How will you keep me in line until then?"

"I'll think of something." Alex's kisses moved from light to hungry, her nails scraping over Nikita's wet skin. "Bed now." she ordered.

Alexandra slowly drew the towel over her lover's body, Nikita's eyes a tangible touch over her own skin. She stood to kiss her again. Lightly twisting a nipple Alex pushed her slowly back toward the bed. "All mine til the sun comes up," she affirmed again.

"And after... even when I am training you," Nikita responded, a loving light in her eyes.

Smiling, Alexandra pushed her back into the bed and straddled her, explored her with warm lips. "Mine," she claimed.


	22. Chapter 22

 

Alexandra turned slowly. "Another day, another warehouse," she said dryly. As warehouse living went the first impression was good. Lots of space, spare but comfortable looking furnishings, a full kitchen where she dropped the groceries they had picked up. She turned slowly to take it in.

Nikita laughed. "Warehouse districts away from newer travel arteries tend to dry up. Less traffic makes it easy to monitor comings and goings. Fewer tenants in the area means fewer people to notice our comings and goings. I put a false wall behind the filthy windows, nobody sees our lights. I put a door behind shelves to let us into the next building and there is a door under a rug to let us into the sewer."

"Now I know you are trying to get me hot." Alex smiled and moved into the gym area where a dummy and mats waited for hours of pummeling fun.

"I have a few hidey holes scattered around. I am not interested in being reacquired and retired in the traditional manner with a bullet to the brain." Nikita's face grew still. "I can teach you how to think, to move, to fight. If you go into Division, I can''t protect you there." That part was hardest of all to swallow. She was in love with this woman. Her strength and vulnerability was intoxicating. She was Nikita's missing piece and the only way to hold on to her love was to send her in against the wolves.

The young Russian turned and walked to the other woman brushing fingers down her arm. "You let me live. That was all the protection I needed. Now, I need training. I will do the rest."

"Not alone," Nikita responded fiercely.

Alexandra's smile spread slowly. "Not alone, never again alone." She leaned into her lover and kissed her fiercely. She leaned back and lightly back slapped Nikita's stomach. "Show me the rest and then start training me."

Nikita sighed. "I am still not sure..."

"I am."

Nodding, Nikita squeezed before stepping back. "Let's do this."

Alex was thinking future. "How do I get recruited?" She asked as they came to the small kitchen. Reaching into the brown paper sack sitting by the sink, she drew out an apple. Nikita plucked it from her fingers, took a bite and handed it back with a grin.

Nikita leaned against the refrigerator door. "Once you get strong, trained, we will make you look like candy to Division. Young, beautiful, fierce, but vulnerable to control." She sighed and held her hands wide. "Talk out someone they want cancelled, and they will notice... Best bet, make you look like a junkie with a gun."

Alex's eyes narrowed. "I won't go back to the drugs," she replied angrily. She chewed at the apple in her hands with a fury.

"Look like it." Nikita moved close and put her hands on her lover's hips. "No one is going to own you like that again, unless you give them that control. You just need to look high. I can teach you how to look like a junkie."

Alex snorted. "I think I remember the basics." She put down the apple.

"Good. First though, we train. I have a lot to teach you."

 

* * *

 

 **Percy**  came into Amanda's office and sat down. He watched her silently for long moments before she looked up from her computer. He smiled. "Hello Amanda."

"Percy. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?" she asked with a smile.

"You've been naughty."

"Oh?"

"I realize our resources are a bit more expansive than your average organization, but you have wasted human assets on a hunt for a junkie for one of your little projects."

Amanda shook her head slowly with a smile. "I find it difficult to believe that you are coming to me about wasted human assets."

He smiled. "Only in that their training takes time and we are in a recruitment lull."

"I have reason to believe that there is a connection between this junkie and Nikita," Amanda responded.

Percy shook his head. "She will have cut the encumbrance loose by now. The junkie is no doubt dead with a needle in her arm. Nikita is too smart to bind herself to an albatross like that."

Amanda frowned. "And if you are wrong?"

"I will harvest several prime specimens for your fun and games myself." He stood. "Keep the extracurricular activities beneath my radar," he cautioned.

"I will." Amanda sighed as he went out the door. She was content in that he was taking no official notice of her activities, but it was annoying to her to be schooled on his unofficial awareness. She picked up her phone. "It's Amanda. Put your search for the targets on passive and get back to your usual pursuits." She hung up.

Birkhoff hung up. He smiled. "Just you and me again Xena," he told the doll before setting his passive watchdogs.

 

* * *

 

 **Months**  later, Alex slammed Nikita to the mat and landed, laying her weight across the older woman's body. She struggled for the gun. Nikita tried to fling her aside, but found her lover as tenacious as a pit bull. They struggled back and forth until Alexandra bit Nikita's hand. The weapon slid away and Alex straddled Nikita who looked up proudly at the younger woman.

Alex nodded. "I'm ready, Sensei."

Nikita snorted. "No, but no one is ever ready to destroy nests of human vipers."

"That night in the restaurant, there was something about you Nikita," Alex said gazing steadily into Nikita's eyes.

"I love you," Nikita said simply. She reached up to touch Alex's cheek.

Alexandra leaned into it. "This is the beginning of a new story for us."

"But not the end of the old one," her lover replied.

"Never the end." Alex leaned in for a kiss. "Let's go rub diesel and old cheetos into my jacket. I want to be a high class junkie when Division takes me."

Nikita watched her lover go toward the rack of clothes for the stick up job that would introduce the new Alex to the world. It killed her that she prepared Alex to go into such extreme danger, but she knew it had to be done.  The Russian woman needed to do this part if she was ever going to give herself fully to Nikita and find some peace about her past. She loved Alex and she had done the best she could to protect her and this was not the end... Never the end.

She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Here we go."


End file.
